Break Away
by Elfbrat18
Summary: I will not be continuing with this story but if you wish to read it before I delete it be my guest. I am starting over completely with this and the new one is Lonely Girl. Check it out and tell me what you think please!
1. It Cant Rain All The Time

**Break Away **

**A/N: I was watching The Crow when I had this sudden idea. Think of that story line when you read this, and it might make since if you've seen the movie. If you haven't seen the movie, it might make since, but it would be better understood if you have seen the movie. This is not a parody of the movie, I'm merely using the idea as a muse. Anyways, it'll be sort of a Mary-Sue, ya know, those where girl fall into M.E., but I'm taking a different route with this one, and hopefully this idea won't be run into the ground.**

**: : It Can't Rain All The Time : :**

**The rain continued to pour down the windows of my apartment that Halloween Eve, October 30 for those of you who don't get it. My Halloween costume, a sailor fuku like that of Sailor Saturn, folded neatly into the duffel bag at my feet. I was planning on going to Kersey Valley Spookywoods the next night with a few of my good friends. Afterwards, we were going to go back to a friends' house for a party that her parent's were putting together. That was why I had a few pairs of jeans and some tops stuffed away In the duffel as well as other things that are beyond my knowledge of putting in the bag. I was wearing a pair of low rider jeans and a black tank top that clung to me like a second skin.**

**I looked out the window of my bedroom, with a huge case of writer's block on the fanfiction I was currently writing. It would be wise to go ahead and say up front that my two big subjects to write fanfics are The Lord of the Rings and Orlando Bloom. Hey, what girl doesn't swoon over the British hottie? Anyways...I'm an artist, but writing fanfics just isn't my forte, it's more like something to do to pass the time. Actually, I like to draw. My grandfather, before he passed away 10 years ago, got me interested in archery, but since his death, I haven't really committed myself to it very much. Sometimes I'll go down to the YMCA and practice to keep my skills sharp, and I know that he's standing beside me when I do practice, even though I can't see him. The bow that he gave me for my birthday lay beside my duffel. I took the liberty of naming my bow Legolas. Yeah, I know that sounds strange, but don't people name things that they cherish dearly?**

**The phone ringing brought me out of my thoughts. I looked at the clock. It was 11:42. **_Who in the world is calling at this hour?! _**I thought to myself, reaching over on the bedside table to retrieve the cordless phone.  
  
"Hello?"**

**There wasn't an answer, so I tried again.**

"**Hello?" I repeated.**

**This time I heard breathing on the other end. **_What is this, some obscene phone call?_

"**Who is this? Tell me now or I'm calling the police!" I demanded.**

**I heard laughter. "I'm delivering a message from Arlene Harris on the other side."**

"**That isn't possible, I'm not dead!"**

"**Yet." A voice said behind me.**

**I didn't get a chance to scream before the blow of a man's fist came in contact with my stomach, knocking the wind clean out of me. I came down on my hands and knees, then was kicked to my side by the guy's boot. The first thought that came to mind when I registered that there were about four or five coming towards me was **_Oh God, this is it. I'm going to be raped then beat to death, and possibly raped again. _**It was one of their intentions, but then I heard one of them telling the other that their mission was only to make sure that I didn't see the light of day again.**

_Think again, you creeps. I'm not going down without a fight._

**The group of men looked like a bunch of bikers, judging by their attire, but then again, they acted like ravage gang members. I didn't get a look at their face once I was able to stand, because I was coming at them with everything that I had. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough. They rounded on me with knives unsheathed, ready to pierce my skin. I tried punching and kicking at them, but to no avail. They were far too strong for me in the state that I was in. One must have come behind me, because in a flash, I was looking down at my abdomen to see a knife coming all the way though me. The sight of my blood was more than I could handle at the moment, and I attempted another scream, only to find that the guy in front of me raised his fist, that was protected by brass knuckles mind you, to come in contact with my jaw.**

**My vision was already blurry, but I felt myself being thrown down to the floor, as well as boots being impaled into my ribs. I thought I felt one crack. I didn't know what I had done to deserve this kind of treatment, but there was nothing that I could do to keep them off of me at this point. I felt the blades of cool metal slicing into my skin. I saw the blood pool around me and knew that it was my blood all over the hardwood floor. I attempted to turn my head to catch a glimpse of some identifiable characteristics to put these jerks away if I survived.**

**If I survived.**

**But when I looked at these guys, they didn't look entirely human. Granted, they had the humanistic layout, but these guys were...mutilated...like they survived a nuclear winter. One had his ears pierced all up along his ears, a stud in each nostril, and a bolt in his tongue. He had a mohawk of black hair that turned into a mullet where his ears started. The one beside him had spiked black hair, and a ring pierced through his nose like a bull. To this guy's right was a shorter guy who had no hair and a gut with some kind of strange tattoo running along the left side of his face and down his neck from what I could see. There was another guy standing behind the shorter one, he had much darker skin, with what looked like studs under his eyes. He was of a heavier build than the others, like he could pass for a bouncer at a New York club. The last one had frizzy grayish black hair that stopped at his shoulders, with a lip piercing that had a chain that reached from his chin to his left ear. I realized it was him when he held up the phone that I had dropped and began to talk into it. "I'm delivering a message from Arlene Harris on the other side." The thing that was most peculiar to me was that each of them had an imprint of a white hand upon them, being the cheek head, neck or chest.**

"**You assholes aren't going to get away with this!" I grumbled, in an attempts to stand up.**

"**Be silent, wench!" the one closest to me roared, and kicked me in the ribs extremely hard to emphasize his point.**

**Once again, I was slung back down to the ground. This time I didn't get up. I couldn't find the strength to get up.**_ Who the hell calls anyone 'wench' nowadays?! _**Needless to say, the beatings continued for a good while. They were about to leave some time later when the one that told me to shut up decide3d that it would be grand to shove a gleaming long knife into my left shoulder and pin me to the floor to die before they left.**

**I faked unconsciousness until I was dead sure that they were gone, sorry, no pun intended. My body was in excruciating pain, but I wasn't about to accept defeat. With my right hand, and a few deep breaths, I managed to pull the long knife from my shoulder, which went through into the hardwood floor. As much as I wanted to, I didn't cry out. I couldn't run the risk of being heard by the wrong people. With the knife thrown aside, I crawled/slid over to the computer desk, where my things were laying, I made a grab for the phone and dialed 911.**

"**911, what is your emergency?" I heard a voice say.**

**I was leaning against my duffel when the person on the other line asked the question again. I was about to answer, but my vision was clouded by black spots, and I actually did slip into darkness. I managed one last glance outside the window, only to see that it was still raining.**

_It can't rain all the time..._


	2. Light Across The Sky

**Break Away**

**: :Light Throughout The Sky: :**

**Without even opening my eyes I could tell that it was incredibly bright out. The rain had finally stopped, and the birds were out again. I stretched my arms out, only to be struck with immense pain.**

_I guess last night wasn't a dream after all. That being the case, I need to get to the hosp-WHERE IN THE HELL AMI I?!_

**After my eyes registered that fact that I was outside on the side of a dirt road, I began to think about where I was, how I got there, and if I could get medical attention and SOON. Shifting to get up, my hand brushed up against something. My duffel, Legolas, and quiver of arrows were at my feet.**

_If those creeps decided to come back and toss me out here-wherever here is-then they must have no sense to leave me with a weapon of any kind._

**With the sight of a city not -Ahem- far away, I strapped my quiver and Legolas onto my back, and slung my duffel over my good shoulder and proceeded to the city.**

**3 hours, 42 minutes and 30 seconds later...**

_I seriously DID NOT think it would take THIS LONG to get to that freakin' city! If I wasn't stabbed full of holes, I might enjoy this more._

**Well, the walk didn't last much longer, because before I knew it, I was at the gates tot the city. And the only thing stopping me from getting in were these two guards in armor from head to toe.**

"**State your name and business, milady." One of them said. **_Wow, first he addresses me nicely, then he calls me...hang on...what DID he call me...?_

"**My name is Arlene Harris and, may I inquire as to where I am?"**

"**You are in Gondor, standing at the gates of the White City. Now, what is your business here?"**

_These guards are either blind or they're not that bright... _**"Can't you tell by looking at me?! I've been injured immensely. I'm in horrible pain. It's a wonder that I'm even walking, much less that I actually made it here. So can you please...help...me..." The blood loss hit me like a semi and I was unconscious again.**

**The coronation of the King and the reuniting of his love had long since ended. Many of the civilians had returned to their daily lives. All but a small group of friends were gathered in the main hall, catching up from recent events. Aragorn stood proudly by his new wife, Arwen, along with the Dwarf Gimli and the Mirkwood Prince Legolas, and the Hobbits Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo were seated at a long table. Joining them were Gandalf the White, Lord Elrond or Rivendell, his two mischievous sons Elladan and Elrohir, Eomer, his younger sister Eowyn, and Faramir. The War of the Ring was over. Sauron had fallen and the evil of the One Ring was cast into the fiery depths of Mount Doom. All was back as it should be.**

**Gandalf turned his head to see a group of guards running towards the group at the table. Aragorn noticed their coming and met them halfway, Arwen never leaving his side, The group gathering behind them. Nothing could have prepared them for what the guards were carrying in on a makeshift stretcher.**

**A girl lay outstretched, her body and clothes soaked in her very blood. Scratches were evident all over her body, and two deep punctures could be seen, one in the stomach, and the other in the left shoulder. Her blond hair was mixed with the blood that seeped from her head wound. Arwen gasped at the sight and stifles a sob that threatened to come out and tried to shield Eowyn from the sight, but was none too successful.**

"**What happened to the girl?" Aragorn asked the guard, Hasufenell.**

**Hasufenell shook his head sorrowfully. "My deepest regrets, we do not know. She slowly made her way to the gates. We asked her of her name and business, and she responded in a tone that was most unladylike. Then she blacked out, and that's all that I know of her."**

"**What is her name?" Lord Elrond asked, sweeping by everyone to kneel down by the young woman and get a better look.**

"**She said her name was...Arlene...Harris," he replied, trying to sound the name out like she had said it.**

**Elrond stood up almost immediately, startling everyone. "Take her to the healer's room at once. I shall be following shortly. Arwen, follow me, I will need your assistance. Gandalf, you will be needed as well. Come now, we must hurry, there is no way of me knowing how long the child has suffered from these injuries," he said, as he took off in a rush, his robes flowing behind him with Arwen and Gandalf hot on his heels.**

**For anyone that would be walking down that particular hall at the time would have posed quite a sight. First, the Lord of Rivendell, his daughter, and a wizard are chasing four guards hustling an injured body to the healing room. Then, there's the sight of the peredhril twins, a Mirkwood Prince, the White lady of Rohan, her brother and the King of Gondor, the deceased Steward of Gondor's son chasing them down the hall, only to have the door slammed in their faces, so they fall to a pile in the floor. And then there's the matter of five smaller figures trying to keep up with their long legged comrades, one being a Dwarf and the other four Hobbits, waddling their way to find a pile of Elves and Men in front of the door.**

**Lord Elrond sighed to himself as he heard the pileup outside the door. At times they could be a s curious as children. He then shrugged off the image he had of them outside and set to work, doing the best that he could to help save the girl's life. It was evident that she had lost a good deal of blood, and there wasn't much that he could do but to seal the wounds. **_She would indeed be sore when she woke _**Lord Elrond though to himself.**

**Well? What did you guys think? I apologize up front for stopping the chapter there, it's just the point where my creative streak ran out. Anyways, I have some ideas planned out in my head, the only problem is putting them into words. Anyways, in the meantime, check out my other story, Dreamsprite while you're at it. And as always, read and review, savvy?**


	3. Who Do You Think You're Fooling?

**Break Away **

**A/N: OMG! I really want to apologize for not updating as soon as I wanted. Lotsa writer's block. And I've have to enlarge pics of tarot cards for mama, and I've had to send in lessons 5-7 to the Art Institutions, so I've had that to work on. But I promise to all of my wonderful readers that I will try my hardest to update more often. Normal disclaimers apply, sorry, forgot to put that in on chapter one. For all my Dreamsprite readers, never fear, I'll try to update that story as well. It might not be the same day, but it will be soon. You can count on that! **

**: :Who Do You Think You're Fooling?: :**

**Darkness continued to swirl around in my mind, even as I tried to open my eyes. But, to no avail, I was too tired to try. My ears did pick up the faintest of conversation at my bedside before the impending blackness overwhelmed me again. Actually, it was more like bits of sentences.**

"...**who is she..."**

"...**injuries...serious..."**

"...**possibility of revenge..."**

"...**but...who could do this...so young..."**

"...**yes...a child..."**

**Lord Elrond, Gandalf, and Arwen were crowded around the bedside of the mystery girl that had yet to awaken. After much arguments, the group from outside were let** **in the Healing Room, all of them crowded around the bed as if the Lady of the Wood had suffered a concussion. **

"**What could have happened to her, Gandalf?" Aragorn asked with worry evident in his voice as he laid a comforting hand on Arwen's shoulder.**

"**There is no way of knowing until she regains consciousness. Even then, she may** **be reluctant to give any information away about her injuries, for fear that she might be hunted down again."**

**Elladan propped himself up on his elbows from the vacant bed beside the girl's. "Sounds to me like you could read her mind just then, Gandalf."**

**Gandalf raised a white brow at him. "As you know, I cannot read minds. I was only assuming the possibility that it could happen."**

**Elladan was about to make a remark, but Elrohir slapped a hand over his mouth, earning a short-lived glare. The sound of a girls' whimpers and tossing in the bed had caught the attention of everyone. Her breathing was till heavy, which meant that she was in a deep sleep, but her tossing and turning made it seem like she was trying to wake up from a bad dream. She eventually stopped her movements** **and settled back into dreams.**

"**That was...strange. Do you think she's reliving the torment that she's been through, Ada?" Arwen asked.**

"**I cannot say. But I do have a feeling that when she wakes up, she's going to want revenge."**

"**How can you tell, Ada?" Elrohir asked, his hand still over his twin's mouth.**

**Elrond shook his head. "It is something within her soul that tells me so. She has a fighting spirit, otherwise how would she have made it so far with such serious injuries?"**

**No one spoke after that statement. No one knew a reply that sounded logical.**

**Arwen took one of the girl's hands in both of her own as she sat down in a chair beside the bed. It disturbed her to no end that someone or something could do this to a person, but it frightened her further that they could do such a thing to a young woman and not feel regret. She cleared her mind of these thoughts, trying** **her best to block out all of the possibilities that came to mind in the situation the girl was put in. She kept telling herself that when the girl awakened, and when she was ready she would tell the tale. It brought tears to her eyes when she considered that this girl might not wake up again.**

"**So young...she looks so young...how could someone do this to her?" she whispered.**

"**It will be alright, Arwen. She will be fine. Remember that your father is very skilled in Even healing methods. He has seen to it that her injuries are taken care of." Aragorn assured her, seeing her lack of movement.**

"**Aragorn is right. Maybe we just need to relax. She will come to in time. When she does, though, I don't think that she would appreciate a group of strangers gathered around her bed staring down at her." Gandalf said with a chuckle, ushering everyone back away from the bedside.**

"**FUCKING HELL!!!!!!" I swore, sitting up so fast in the bed that it was a wonder that my head didn't pull a Beetlejuice. It hurt so much. I guess that it was because I had been sleeping for so long. **_Wait, how long have I been sleeping?_ **My thoughts were cut short as I just took in the fact that I was surrounded by a bunch of people.** _Ok, I'm in a hospital...of some sort..._

"**Such language coming from a Lady. I have never heard such a word in all of my lifetime," a chuckling old man with long white hair and beard smiling down at me. "It would seem to me that the child has woken up."**

_Child?! Well, I guess compared to him that I'm a child, but come on, I'm 23 years old for Christ's sake!_

"**This is no time to make jokes, Mithrandir. She is in a land that is foreign to her, so I am not surprised that she would be startled by her surroundings since she has not been awake for a week." An older man wearing burgundy robes approached the man he called "Mithrandir." His hair was long and dark, with different strands pulled back from his face that gave notice to pointed ears.** _Pointed ears?! What the hell?! Waitaminute...he said I was asleep for how long?!_

"**Uh...excuse me, did I hear you right? Have I been asleep for THAT long? And who are you guys? And just where the heck am I and am I able to get back home?"**

**It wasn't until I got a closer look that I realized that: 1) I might not get home. 2) These people were dressed like the characters from Tolkien's books,. 3) They couldn't be the actors from the movies...I'm just not that lucky. 4) I am sooo screwed right about now.**

"**My name is Lord Elrond, Elf Lord of Rivendell. This is Gandalf the White. Those are my sons Elladan and Elrohir, and my daughter Arwen. That is Aragorn, the new King of Gondor, Eowyn and Eomer of Rohan, Gimli son of Gloin, and Prince Legolas of Mirkwood. By the door is Faramir, son of Denethor, the once steward of Gondor with the Hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin of the Shire. You are in the Healing Room of the Palace of Gondor. As for your return home, I cannot say if that is possible because we do not know from where you come. The guards at the gate brought you to us. Now, if you please, we would like to know how you acquired these injuries, Arlene Harris."**

"**Alright, I guess that an explanation is due. I was sitting in my bedroom on October 30, typing on my laptop when I go a phone call. I went to answer it and no one said anything at first. Then some one said that Arlene Harris had a message for me from the hereafter. I told them that was impossible because I was still alive. Then someone from behind me said that wouldn't last for long. Before I knew it, I was attacked by five grotesque looking guys, like they were orcs that survived a nuclear winter or something. Anyway, I was kicked, punched, cut, stabbed, had just about everything done to me but rape. After stabbing me in the shoulder and pinning me to the floor, they left me to die. Once I was sure that they were gone, I removed the knife from my shoulder and attempted to call 911. But then everything went black before I could state my emergency. When I woke up, I was lying on the side of the road not far from here. I slung my bags over my somewhat good shoulder and hauled myself here, looking for medical help. I met the guards** **at the gate, and I was only able to give them my name before I passed out again. Guess it was from the lack of blood. But anyways, that's all I know."**

**I looked around at everyone and seen that the woman called Arwen was crying. She was still holding my hand as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. "How terrible," was all that she could say.**

"**You have no idea." I replied.**

**Well? How was it? Good? Bad? Tel me, tell me, tell me! I wanna know! I wanted I to be longer, but I had to cut it short if I wanted to get it out today. Anyways, read and review and hugs to all that do! Elfbrat18**


	4. Tears For Two Reasons

**Disclaimer: Go read chapter 1...**

**Yet again, I apologize...I had a brain fart on what I where I was going from here, so I had to watch The Crow again for inspiration, and damn if I didn't strike gold! Keep in mind that really soon there are going to be transitions from where Arlene is, to back where she come from, and to where the monkey-butt the brought her to M.E. is hiding out at. But maybe I've said too much. Anyways, I got two reasons for not getting this out sooner: 1) My dad worked Saturday, so I couldn't get to the library and 2) I'm voting early, so more than likely there's gonna be a long line...hey just half a million people (including me) are new registered voters in my county alone! So if you can get out and vote, by all means do it!**

**Enough of my preaching, here's the story.**

**: :Tears For Two Reasons: :**

**The room was filled with silence once I finished telling my story. Arwen finally stopped crying, to my relief. I felt so guilty for making her cry. But the fact that no one was talking was putting me on the spot, and I felt like I should say something else, but I couldn't think of a thing. Elrond came to my rescue.**

"**These attackers, Lady Arlene, did they have any distinguishing characteristics?"**

..._white...white hand prints?...yeah, that sounds about right..._

"**Well, they each had a white hand print that was either placed on their face, head or neck. Why?"**

**Elrond's brows were furrowed in thought. "It sounds to me like the work of Sarumon the White."**

"**But that's impossible, my Lord!" Aragorn stated, moving over to the Elf-Lord. "Sauron and Saruman have been defeated. How can it be possible that these attackers even exist?"**

**My temper got the better of me. "Are you doubting my word just because I'm not from around here, is that it? I'm sorry to tell you this, but I am not lying! If you claim me to be a liar, then explain how received these injuries! I'm not the kind of person that is dumb enough to cut themselves just to get attention! So please explain, my Lord." I said.**

**Needless to say that I caught the attention of everyone in the room with that little rant. Aragorn looked shocked at my outburst. "My deepest apologies, lady Arlene. I have no doubt in your word. I also understand that you are not from here, so let me explain: Saruman the White bred thousands of Uruk-hai that he branded with a white hand print, an insignia of sorts. Now that Isenguard has been taken over, he has no power to breed the evil. That is why I am finding it hard to believe that these creatures could walk the lands of Middle earth again."**

"**I see, well then, I accept your apology. Now my question to you is this: Is there anyone that could have conjured up those things again, someone that might be linked with Saruman?"**

**Gandalf shook his head. "We are not sure. Is there someone from your time that could have intentions to kill you.?"**

**I laughed, something they weren't expecting. **_If you only knew..._ **"You'll find this hard to believe, but I have family members that want my head on a plate?"**

"**Why? What could you do that could make your family want to kill you?" Elladan asked.**

"**Succeed."**

"**I'm lost."**

"**That doesn't surprise me, brother."**

"**It doesn't surprise me, either, Elrohir. I guess you'd just have to know my family, my moms' side to be precise. They feel that if everyone around them is miserable, then they' feel like they've accomplished something. They can't stand for someone to succeed at something, and they are extremely prejudice. They won't have anything to do with you if you're broke, but if you suddenly come into money, they're willing to help out with anything and everything until you're poor again, then they want nothing to do with you. I've lived for 24 years, and it wasn't until I was 16 that I realized that fact. I guess it's better to know the truth no matter how much it hurts than to play ignorant to it."**

**Again, more silence. Come to think of it, if I was a stranger that had just heard that, it would take a minute for me to comprehend it all.**

**Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my bag sitting at the foot of the bed. When I made an attempt to grab for it, Arwen pushed me back into the pillows. **

"**If you wanted your bag, all you had to do was ask and I would get it for you."**

"**Sorry, I'm not used to asking for help much. I've had to do a lot for myself."**

**Arwen plopped the bag in my lap and I muttered a thank you to her before unzipping the large black duffel.** _Oh boy, I don't even remember what's in here..._

**The first thing that I pulled put was my laptop.** _I wonder if that even works._ **Then out came my Halloween costume and the boots that went with it.** _CRAP! _**"Um, Arwen, what is today's date?" **

"**The date? It's the 26th of October. Why do you ask?"**

"**Because on the 31st, me and some friends of mine get together to celebrate Halloween, and this year we were going to go to a Haunted House called Kersey Valley Spookywoods, then go back to one of their houses and have a party."**

"**What is this Halloween that you speak of?" Elladan asked.**

"**And what's a haunted house?" Elrohir added.**

"**Halloween is a holiday that we celebrate in my time, based on the old myths of All Hallows Eve, saying that it is the one night of the year in which the spirits can return from the dead and walk the Earth. Some people call the day before Halloween Devils Night, for some reason or other, I'm not quite sure. A haunted house is something that groups of people put together that range in size and scariness that others pay to come walk through to get the bejesus scared out of them. Kersey Valley Spookywoods is just that. Me and my friend Amanda went to it last year. There were four parts to it: a haunted house, a haunted tram ride, a corn maze, and then on to Spookywoods itself. We got there early and were one of the first groups to go. The woman sending people in had us wait on the porch of the house. There were signs outside that said that there were cameras stationed all over, so that everything was being recorded, some that said that young children, pregnant women, and people with heart conditions shouldn't continue, some that said that the company wasn't responsible for anyone pissing, shitting, or throwing up due to the effects used. Amanda poked me in the arm, and when I turned around, there was this guy in black with white gloves and a mask on, motioning for me and Amanda to follow. The first room we went in had a long table with what looked like two people sitting there. One voice boomed, 'Come on in! Come on in!' Then there was a loud THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! The booming voice said, 'My grandpa isn't too happy that yall didn't say happy birthday to him. Now it's not good to get Grandpa mad...just look at what happened to the last guy...'"**

**Everyone's attention was focused on the story, so I continued. "and out of nowhere, this bright green light was cast over this, this thing that looked like it had been turned inside out. We fled from that room, and walked down the hall. The bookcases and old chest of drawers creaked and moved and made moans and wails as we passed them. Finally we made it to the last room. It was a rickety old bedroom, with some guy sitting by the bed calling for us. 'Yall come over here and meet my old uncle Nicholas. Nah, don't stay back there, come to the foot of the bed, Uncle wants to give you girls a present.' Right when me and Amanda got the foot of the bed, this shrill scream rang out, and the thing in the bed was hooked up to cables that pulled it up over our heads. Just then a chain saw went off, and Amanda screamed. We both ducked on instinct, then the guy sitting by the bed got up and showed us to the door that had flung open." I attempted to make the best chain saw noise I could, but it wasn't the greatest. "Well, after that, came the tram ride, it's kind hard to explain how that works, I'm not evens sure what to call it. Anyways, Michael Myers, that's a make believe murderous character, hitched a ride with us for a little while. He got off before we reached the corn maze. A witch was waiting for us when we got there, and she showed us in. The first guy we came up on called himself 'Turd Man.' Real polite though. Well, there were different sounds going off and screams wailed and people hiding in places that you'd least expect. Putting it bluntly, Amanda almost yanked my arm out of socket she pulled on it so hard trying to get out of there. Well, my memory's kinda fuzzy when we passed through Spookywoods, but I do remember this one woman asking us to look for her brother, I think his name was "Cajun Bocephus Bo Cledus, or something like that. Once we made it through there, we were on our way back to the gates when we had to pass through a mock cemetery. But that's basically what Spookywoods is."**

"**That sounds like fun," Pippin sad.**

"**Yeah, it was. But my mom and grandmother told me about one that they went through when my mom was 16. They told me that they stopped running it because several people got hurt. The way it was set up was like this: You have to crawl on your hands and knees through this tunnel that is just a little more than shoulder width wide. And all along the sides there are windows that open up with scary images or people or sounds that try to scare you as you pass by. My grandmother, my mom, her brother Mike, who keep in mind was about 6 foot tall at the time, her sister Cheryl, and their cousin Robin went through it. My grandmother went in first, followed by Cheryl, Robin, then my mom and Mike was bringing up the rear. My mom said it wouldn't have been as scary if Cheryl and Robin weren't screaming so much. Then out of nowhere, something started coming up that tunnel after Mike, and when they got out, he was the first one. To this day they haven't figured out how he got past them so quickly."**

**The image from that story makes me laugh every time I think about it. I found that the next thing that I pulled out was a photo album. I laid that beside the laptop. There were also a couple pairs of jeans and some shirts and the basic necessities a girl needs. I found some tiny speakers that hooked up into the laptop along with an extensive collection of CDs that ranged from Gretchen Wilson to Kenny Chesney to Nickleback to Cher to Britney to Backstreet Boys to Alanis Morisette to Bare Naked Ladies...well, you get the idea. There were also a bunch of DVDs, some anime, like Sailor Moon, Yu Yu Hakusho, Love Hina, Tenchi Muyo, Gundam Wing, and Inuyasha, all 3 EE of the LOTR, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Candyman, things like** **that. There was also a couple of bags of Halloween candy, a can of Pringles, a bag of Cheetos, and my sketchbook with a few drawing pencils. Told you that duffel bag was big.**

**The evening went well, to say the least. I was up and walking around, with different people showing me around the palace. They went out of their way and had a room prepared for me, where they took my things. It took me a couple of tries, but I was able to navigate my way around the palace...somewhat.**

**At dinner, a toast was made to the new King of Gondor, and his soon to be Queen. That's right, he proposed, and she accepted. And like everyone that gets proposed to, she cried tears of joy. But something like a pang of jealousy shot through me for a split second. I don't know why. I've never been jealous of any of my friends having a boyfriend. Could it be that somewhere deep down I long for that kind of romance?** _Nonsense...it's not meant for me..._

**That night I lay awake in my bed for hours it seemed like just thinking. Nothing in particular, just random thoughts. Arwen and Aragorn's wedding would be the day after tomorrow. Then realization dawned on me: There was no surefire way that I would be getting home any time soon.** _What about Amanda and Sharon? Would they know if something happened to me? Of course they would, they're your friends. What if I never get home?_

**I had always dreamed of traveling back in time to Middle earth, and now I got my wish. But the first night I was there, I cried myself to sleep. Even though I was surrounded by lots of people, I have never felt so alone in my entire life then at that moment.**

**So you know, I changed the names of names to protect the ahem not so innocent. But the retelling of the trip to Spookywoods and the 'incident' that my mom and grandmother told me about is real, so I wanna thank them for giving me a mental image that I will forever laugh at. Don't forget to review, oh, and vote if you're of legal age!**


	5. Congratulations!

**Here's the next chapter. Not much to say except that I don't own the song Arlene sings at the wedding. I thought it might fit, considering her feelings towards the celebration. It's called 'Congratulations!' from Ah Megamisama!**

**Thanks to my reviewers, I know that I'm doing something right. So thank you guys very much and check out Dreamsprite as well!**

**: :Congratulations!: :**

**The next day came and went quicker than I could have imagined, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the bed in Arwen's room, watching her prepare herself for the big day ahead. She wore a long shimmering white gown that trailed a good distance on the floor when she moved. The sleeves were thin and transparent like lace that flowed over her fingertips to the trail the floor. A veil was held to her hair by white flowers that were braided into her hair, showing the delicate point of her ears. Apart from the pointy ears, she looked just like how every girl playing dress-up like a princess would imagine herself.**

"**Arlene...can I confide in you for a moment?"**

**For some reason, this startled me. "Sure. How can I be of service?"**

"**I've been waiting for this day for so long. But I have a confession."**

"**What's that?"**

"**I'm nervous."**

"**Surely you're joking."**

"**No, I'm afraid I'm not. I love Aragorn deeply with all of my heart, and I've always dreamed of this day, but something stops me in my tracks and asks me if I'm ready for this. You see, that's why I am nervous."**

"**It sounds to me like you have what they call where I come from 'cold feet.'"**

"**But my feet are not cold."**

"**It's just an expression that is used when the bride gets the jitters just before the ceremony. It's perfectly normal. Now, can I confide in you?"**

"**Of course. I will be here anytime you need someone to talk to." **_Arwen, those words are comforting, but it's not making it any easier to say what I'm about to say._

"**Alright, it's like this," I began, wondering how to word this where she could understand, "I've never been in a relationship with anyone before, and I was wondering, what's it like to be in love?" **_Please oh please don't laugh..._

**I was so worried that she would, but she didn't. She just smiled and had this far off look in her eyes. "It's hard to describe. When you're with the other person you feel like if they ever left you wouldn't feel complete. It's a warm feeling, um, and you feel like you're high up on a cloud and you never want to come down. You feel at peace with the other person, so much that you can tell them anything, it's wonderful. Now I must ask you if you are joking about not being in a relationship."**

"**It's true."**

"**But why not? You're a beautiful young woman, surely there is someone that catches your eye?"**

_Yeah, someone that I'll never meet._

"**No, it's just that I've never really found any reason to look for a potential boyfriend. I've had too many other things on my mind to even think about men."**

"**Boyfriends?" she asked, clearly lost on the term.**

"**That's a term we use where I come from that says that a girl is in a relationship with a guy, she calls him her boyfriend, and he refers to her as his girlfriend."**

"**I see. That's very interesting. Well, it's time to get you ready. It won't be long before the ceremony, and Legolas is going to be your escort."**

"**What do you mean by that?" I asked, clearly the one that was confused now.**

"**You are to be my Maid of Honor. Did I not tell you of this sooner?"**

"**Um, no. But, why would you pick me, if you don't mind me asking."**

**Arwen just smiled and took my arm, leading me to the bathing room. "Because I wanted to. Is that a good enough reason?"**

"**I guess so, thanks, it's an honor that you chose me."**

"**I'm glad you think so. Now, let's get you washed up. There's some oils by the towels that I have laid out for you if you want to use them. They'll help you relax. While you're in the bath, I'll be getting your dress ready. Come out when you are through."**

**Arwen left me after that. With not much of a choice I stripped down and climbed into the inviting bath. I picked through the vials of oils until I found one that I liked best and poured it into the bath water. **_Arwen was right. This stuff does help you relax. Should've thought about getting some of this when I was back home. Home..._** The thoughts of home began to upset me again, but I pushed them out of my mind just as soon as they came. There was no way that I was going to be feeling blue on a day like this. Not on Arwen's wedding day. Instead I shifted my thoughts to what kind of dress that she was picking out for me. There was only one other time that I was ever in a wedding, and I was a bridesmaid for my Aunt Audrey's wedding. Oh man, the dress that was picked for me to wear was so hideous in my opinion, but everyone said that I looked cute. Puh-leaz! This thing was covered with flowers, with pink and white lace around the PUFFY SLEEVES and bottom of the dress. I had to wear baby pink little girl tights with white clunky shoes. My hair was pulled back in ribbons and bows and flowers, but that didn't bother me. What bothered me was that my hair COULD NOT move because it was sprayed with so much hair spray. And my family said that I looked cute. But somehow, I had more trust in Arwen. That seemed to settle my nerves somewhat, the rest was the oils in the water. I dunked my head in to get my hair wet, the proceeded to wash my hair along with the rest of me in a rush. Arwen didn't say how long it was before the ceremony started, and I didn't want to keep her waiting for long. I was just about to get out when I realized something. **_She didn't leave me any clothes. Well, there's a towel, so I guess that it won't matter...it's not like my body is any different then hers. _**I grabbed one of the towels and wrapped it around my body, took another to dry my hair and proceeded to make my way back to the bedroom.**

**I back-tracked to make sure that I had walked into the right room. There were dresses all over the bed, there were shoes of all sorts scattered around the floor, there were bottles and small containers of who knows what spread out across the large vanity, and there was Arwen, right in the middle of the room, holding up a...oh dear god no...**

"**Arwen, is that what I think it is?" I asked, getting really nervous.**

"**What do think it is?"**

"**A corset?"**

"**You got it, now come here so I can help you get in it."**

"**I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?"**

"**Um, no, not one that I can see."**

_Rats!_

**Well, Arwen helped me get the bloody thing on, and I'll admit, it was uncomfortable, but not like I had imagined. This one was made to fit my form. Then came time for the dress. Of all of them, I didn't know which one to pick, so I asked Arwen to pick for me. She chose a green one that brought out my eyes. It has fitted around the torso, then spread out at the hips. The sleeves were bunched slightly at the top, before it met the golden cords that made a criss-cross down the arm before it was tied off, letting the cords hand down with the sleeves that flowed out right above the elbow. The bodice was laced up the front, well, what little of a front there was. As much as I liked this dress, I would have felt better if it would have been a little more conservative, and I pointed this out to Arwen.**

"**That's the way dresses are made here, Arlene." She said simply.**

"**Well if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly flat, actually, I think this just emphasizes it!" Yes, it's true, I'm no 'A' cup, that's for sure.**

"**Alright, you've got the dress, now the shoes. I'm not sure what you can wear, so..."**

"**I have a pair in my bag." I put in, hoping to help.**

"**Great, where is your bag at?"**

"**On the bed in my room."**

"**Just stay right here and I'll go get your bag." She said before leaving the room.**

**That left me standing there in her room, dressed up, barefoot, and self-conscious. Over by the vanity stood a tall mirror, so I ambled my way over to it to get a good look at myself. Wearing clothes in this age was going to take some getting used to. When I made it to the mirror, I was amazed at how I looked. **_Maybe wearing a dress isn't so bad after all... _**I turned from side to side, seeing how I looked when Arwen came back with my bag. **

"**You seem satisfied with the choice, Arlene." She said with a smile.**

"**I am, more than you think," I replied, smiling back at her.**

**She came up to me holding out my bag. "I'm not sure where they would be, and I didn't want to got through your things without asking, so I just brought the whole bag with me."**

"**Hey, that's fine." I said, setting the bag on an open space on the vanity table and began to pull out some makeup and perfume, along with my hairbrush and shoes. They were black sandals that laced over the front and up the ankle with a short heel. **_It's a wonder that I can even walk in these things, as much of a klutz as I am._

**I slipped the shoes on and sat down to lace them as Arwen began to brush back my hair. The act shocked me at first, but then I remembered that she vowed to return the favor for helping her get ready. While she was busy with my hair, I began to put on a little makeup.**

"**What is that that you are putting on your face, Arlene?"**

"**Makeup."**

"**What's that?"**

_How do I explain that?! I don't exactly know how to paraphrase it. _**"It's...um, oh how would you put it, well, it something that women in my time put on their faces to make themselves appear more attractive. Some put it on to hide blemishes, some to cover up wrinkles."**

"**I see. What is that, the small tube? Yes, that one."**

"**It's called lipstick. You put it on your lips. This longer thinner tube is lip gloss. This makes your lips shiny, and depending on what kind you buy, it tastes good, too. If you're wondering, this pencil is an eyeliner pencil, and that is masquera (sp?).**

"**How interesting. Arlene, I'm finished. I hope that you find how I fixed your hair as satisfactory as the dress I had made for you."**

**I stood up and walked over in front of the mirror. **_Wow..._** I didn't even look like me. Arwen had done such an amazing job, that I barely recognized myself. She had pulled my hair back into a low half-ponytail, then gathered that and what fell free up into a higher ponytail, secured by white flowers and ribbons. She left a few strands to frame my face that started from the top and continued down the side of my face.**

"**Arwen, this is amazing. Is there anything that I could do to repay you?"**

"**You don't have to do anything. Just being my maid of honor is enough for me, but I have been wondering, can you sing?"**

"**Yeah, I'm not the greatest, but I can sing pretty well."**

"**I was wondering if you would like to sing something from your time at the reception?"**

"**Sure, that sounds like fun." **_Oh great. Now what am I supposed to sing?_

**The thought was cut short, however, when a knock cam from the other side of the door. Arwen went to answer it, leaving me to admire her work in the mirror.**

"**Arlene," she called, "your escort is here."**

**My breath nearly stopped short when I turned around. When I first woke up, I didn't really get a good look at the Prince of Mirkwood, but just then I had a full blown view. And what a view. Imagine Orlando Bloom in full costume at the end of the ROTK, you know where he's wearing the silvery blue tunic and dark leggings. Alright, good. Now imagine him standing about a foot in front of you, taking your hand and gently kissing it. Yeah, you'd probably go weak in the knees too. I had to lock my legs just to keep from falling over before the initial shock wore off.**

"**How are you today, Arlene?" he asked gently.**

"**I'm...okay, the wounds are healed...and I'm feeling much better, thanks for asking." I said, nervously. **_No guy...er, male...has ever made me this nervous before, what's the deal?_

**Arwen ushered me and Legolas out of the door, claiming that we needed to get down to the great hall, and something about her father wanting to give her a few encouraging words before he brought her down. So there I was, with a very, very, fine Elf whom I barely knew, and my boobs felt like they were about to come out of the dress. Oh yeah, I'm feeling confident at the moment. But as we were walking along, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that whenever he looked at me, he wasn't staring at my body, but at my face. **_How gentlemanly. No wait, that's not right, he's an Elf, so that would make him a gentleElf? Now, that ain't even a word. What about-_

"**We're here, Arlene." He said, once again breaking me out of my thoughts. "Come, we don't have much time before the ceremony begins. Let us get into place."**

**He led me up to the front, where he formally introduced me to everyone. It was then that the Lady of Light made an appearance, along with her husband Celeborn. I turned my head to see an angelic like woman walking up to me. Her eyes seemed to look into the depths of my soul with the wisdom that she held. I bowed my head in greeting, but she took me by the chin and tilted my head back up to meet her gaze. She took my hands in hers and smiled a smile that told me that she knew who I was without a word. Her gaze shifted from me to the door from which she entered. I followed her gaze, noticing that everyone was getting into position, so I hurriedly took mine just as Elrond brought in his only daughter. I could only imaging how much it was hurting to see his only little girl go, just like any father when they walk their daughter down the aisle. (A/N: Sorry, but I'm gonna have to skip the details. Not sure how an Elvish wedding is conducted, anyone with any clue, please tell me!)**

**The ceremony was beautiful, and now Arwen and Aragorn were husband and wife. I remembered the promise I made to Arwen about a song, and I had finally thought of one that would fit this day. I talked to the people in charge of music, and we came to an understanding about how the music should sound. It wouldn't be exactly like in the ending credits of Oh My Goddess!, but it was close enough for me. The room quieted down, and almost immediately I felt stage fright. But I had promised Arwen, and I didn't want to let her down, so I cleared my throat and began to belt out the lyrics.**

**Ude o kunda**

**hishochi no sampo de**

**guuzen deau chapel no wedding.**

**Asa no kaze ni tokekomu sambika.**

**Shiawasesoo na futari.**

**Nozoite ikoo yo.**

**Choodo chikai no kotoba ga hibiku.**

**Shiawase wakete hoshii.**

**Anata o yokome de miru.**

**Kane ga naru wa**

**Hanabira ga mau wa.**

**Kokoro o mitasu tashikana ai.**

**Kyuu ni watashi namida ga afurete**

**anata no shirt de fuita.**

**Omedetoo! Arigatoo!**

**Shiroi bouquet o sashidasu shimpu.**

**Shiawase wakete ageru.**

**Tonari de hohoemu kare.**

**Futari noseta kurama ga ugoku to**

**anata ookina akubi hitotsu**

**Gyuutto ude o tsunette ageta no.**

**Omoi ni kizuku kashira.**

**Aa kaerimichi terenagara**

**itsuka kimi to kurashitai.**

**Masaka propose na no?**

**Ude o kunda**

**hishochi no sampoo de**

**guuzen deau chapel no wedding.**

**Kitto watashi yokansiteta no.**

**Mirai o sasotteita.**

**Eki no form ressha ga ugoku to**

**hanarerarenai futari ni naru.**

**Anata doko de te ni iretekita no?**

**Mabushii yubiwa miseta!**

**Furueru yubi ni kureta.**

**When I finished, the room erupted in applause. **_Wow, I didn't think I was THAT good._** The recognition embarrassed me to no end. I got down from the stage before they asked for an encore. Just as soon as I thought I had escaped into the shadows, Arwen embraced me in a hug. **

"**You sing beautifully Arlene! Even though I could not understand the words, it was a beautiful song."**

"**I'm glad you liked it. The song is called 'Congratulations!' It thought it would be suitable for the occasion."**

**When I was let go of, I was once again greeted by Galadriel. She said no words openly, but I could tell that she was wanting to know how I came here, and I was about to tell her when she took my left arm and slowly pulled back the sleeve. **

"**This is a crow..." she stated.**

"**Yes, what about it, Lady?"**

"**I have had many a nights dreams with this symbol always appearing. Could you be the one that my dreams foretold?"**

_Huh?! What's she talking about?_** But before I could question her, Legolas asked me to dance, and when I turned back, she was gone. **_Where could she have gone to?_** I didn't get a chance to fathom any possible reasons to this because I was pulled into a certain Princes' embrace as he led me onto the dance floor.**

"**Look, there's something you should know, Legolas."**

"**What is that?"**

"**I can't dance to save my life, at least ballroom dancing anyway."**

"**Then I will teach you. Just look into my eyes, not your feet, and follow my lead." He said with a chuckle, then added, "Do they not dance like this where you come from, my lady?"**

**This time it was my turn to laugh. "Remind me to one day show you how we dance where I come from and you'll see what I mean."**

**The night went along smoothly, the party lasting well into the morning. I was standing out on a balcony when Legolas found me. **

"**What seems to be troubling you, Arlene? You do not seem to be as joyous as you were earlier. If you are tired, I will escort you back to your room, if you wish."**

"**No, no, but I'll take you up on that offer later. I'm not tired, just...lost in thought, frustrated."**

"**What could be troubling you?"**

"**You wouldn't understand." I said before turning to leave, but nearly ran into him. He was blocking the way. "Will you please let me by?"**

"**Not until you tell me what troubles you."**

"**I already told you that you wouldn't understand, so just drop it." He was getting on my nerves with his persistent attitude, and I didn't want to lash out at him. **

**And he still didn't give up. "Just tell me what is wrong!"**

"**Alright!" I snapped. "Since you're so damned persistent, I'll tell you! I'm in a place far away from where I come from. I don't know if I can get back. I don't know anyone here. I'm all alone. And I'm scared! There, I said it. I am scared! Are you happy now?"**

**He looked shocked at my outburst, and frankly, so was I. "Oh Legolas, I', so, so, sorry. I didn't mean to lash out at you like that. It's just that I've been so frustrated lately. Please don't be mad. Just imagine if it were you in my world. You would feel the same way."**

"**Yes, that is true. It is natural for one that is not familiar with their surroundings to be uneasy. You don't have to apologize, it was my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you." He said, bowing his head in apology. "Now, Lady Galadriel has asked to see you, that is why she sent me to come find you." **

**I nodded, taking his arm, letting him lead me. **

**We came up to the center of the room, where Galadriel was waiting for me. Legolas let go and moved off to the side. I continued to make my way towards her.**

**What she said next made me stop in my tracks.**

"**People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the Land of the Dead..."**

**I knew that quote. It came from The Crow. I distinctly remember because it was among one of the DVDs that I had stuffed away in my bag that I watched a lot. **

**Something made me continue to recite the quote with her.**

"...**but sometimes, just sometimes...the crow can bring that soul back, to put the wrong things right...I thought that Eric was the last...I never imagined there would be another..."**

_How did she know this?!_

**Woo-hoo! Talk about a cliffie! Don't worry, I'll have the next chapter out before Halloween. Didn't mean to make this so long, but don't worry, it's going to get funny in the next chapter, I promise! I'll give out one little hint about the next chapter: COSTUMES and the SIGNIFICANCE of the CROW on ARLENE'S WRIST. But that's all that I'll tell. I wanna keep you guessing! LOL! RR as always!**

**Elfbrat18**


	6. A Moonlit Celebration

**First off, I want to thank those of you who have read this story, it means a lot to me. Second, thank the Valor I got this out before Halloween! I've been told that this story has a bit of the same plot that Dreamsprite does. Good to know, but for the most part, this one is going to be stretched to the limits, so don't go getting the wrong idea about this, it's not like the other MS's, at least not in my eyes. It may be different to you, it's all in how someone perceives something, like art. There's many views, much criticism, but the only person who has to like it is the artist. And anyways, isn't everyone doing a MS of everyone else's ideas? The way I see it, fanfics, like fashion, has trends...everyone is copying everyone else. So if anyone out there has any ORIGINAL stories or know of any that they would like to share, please tell me. **

**By the way, I don't get mad at constructive criticism, I will get mad at flames, but I take criticism with open arms. **

**So with that said, I present you with the next chapter. **

****

**A Moonlit Celebration**

****

_Previously..._

"**People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the Land of the Dead..."**

**I knew that quote. It came from The Crow. I distinctly remember because it was among one of the DVDs that I had stuffed away in my bag that I watched a lot. **

**Something made me continue to recite the quote with her.**

"...**but sometimes, just sometimes...the crow can bring that soul back, to put the wrong things right...I thought that Eric was the last...I never imagined there would be another..."**

_How did she know this?!_

**She stood there in front of me, her gaze never leaving mine, smiling like she would have the advantage if a fight broke out.** _I won't fall for this. She's trying to catch me off guard. _

"**Now I know that you are the one." She said at last.**

"**Pardon?"**

"**I told you earlier that I have had continuing dreams of a crow. I saw the destruction of a family, Sides were taken, hearts broken. I believe yours in particular."**

"**How did you know about that?"**

"**I foretold it in my mirror. I saw them attack you. I saw them kill you. Like Eric, you suffered a terrible fate, and have returned to put the wrong things right."**

"**Okay, you know that much, but do you know the whole story? Eric died because of the crow. The crow was his link from the Land of the Living to the Land of the Dead."**

"**Yes, but you were brought back under much different circumstances. Have you ever wondered about the insignia on your left wrist?"**

"**No. I went to several doctors, and they told me that results came up inconclusive, and reasoned that it was a birthmark that appeared."**

"**They were wrong. I know what it is you seek, Arlene. Now, about the marking. My dreams told me of a woman from another realm coming to us, bringing with her sadness and pain, but also a powerful gift."**

"**What is this gift?"**

"**You, my dear, are a sprite. And a rare one at that. A legend tells of your kind that lived millennia before the time if the Elves. But something happened that eradicated the line, cutting off the link for many years until the prophecy had been fulfilled. The prophecy of a sprite that would have the power to overcome the evil that destroyed their ancestors."**

"**So you're saying that I'm the one from the prophecy?"**

"**That is correct. Arlene, you are the last of your kind. You must find the evil and terminate it. You have the power to, I can see it in your eyes."**

_I'm the last...sot that means that if I'm killed, then the bloodline will be lost forever...well not if I can help it! _"Powers? What kind of powers, do you know?"

"**I'm sorry, I cannot say for I do not know."**

"**But, say I defeat this evil? What then? I don't even know if I can go back home!"**

"**My dear, you are home. As for your other question, I would say find your soul mate and begin a family," she said, the mischief dancing in her eyes.**

_How can I if I'm the last of my kind?!_

"**Elves are the next closest to sprites," she added.**

**I had a feeling at what she was hinting at, but I still had to ask. "What do you mean by that?" **

**She smiled more. "You'll learn soon enough."**

**It was really late at night before anyone considered turning in. I looked at my watch, it read 2:44.** _Okay, try really early in the morning._**Legolas wouldn't leave me be until I gave in to his request to escort me back to my room.  
  
He stopped me before I could enter the room. "Arlene, what was the Lady Galadriel talking about earlier?"**

_Oh boy, now what will I do? He's not gonna leave me alone until I give him an answer. _**"Well, it's like this," I started. "She thinks that I'm the Sprite in a prophecy that is supposed to vanquish the evil that eradicated the line a long time ago." I blurted out. "Sounds, crazy, right?"**

"**Actually no." he replied, "I recall Ada telling me of the story. When you piece it all together it makes sense. Now think, you wake up one morning and a black row appears on your wrist. These 'doctors' or healers claim that it is just a mere birthmark. Then one night you are attacked by creatures you know not of, are left for dead, then somehow you were brought to this time. You are a rare beauty that has not graced Middle-earth for ages. The Lady tells you the truth, now all that you have to do is accept it. I bid you goodnight, Arlene." He finished, lifting my hand up to kiss it before turning and retreating down the hallway.**

**I knew that the kiss was meant to be polite, but my body didn't read it as polite. **_Damn hormones...wait, did he just call me 'a rare beauty?!' Whatever. _**I turned on my heel and entered my room, discarding the dress and pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a thin strapped tank top before climbing into bed, practically begging for sleep to pull me under.**

**My dreams were filled with memories of friends from home, the small part of my family that actually cared, events that happened in the world, even the most trivial things like calling shotgun when there's three people riding in the car. It was in my dreams that I realized that nothing is trivial. You could be up on top one day, and then dead the next. No one knows when their time has come to take the final walk, or when the Day of Judgment has arrived, but things like that should make people live life to it's fullest and not take anything for granted. **

**A loud knock at my door broke the connection to the dream realm. **_Carpe Diem...one good thing about watching the Dead Poet's Society all those times... _**"Who is it?" I called, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.**

"**It's us," came four chorused voices.**

"**Well 'it's us' doesn't tell me anything," I replied, opening the door to find four Hobbits staring at me. "What's up?"**

"**Up, the sky is up." Sam said.**

"**No, no, you misunderstood me. What's up is an expression, think of it as, how are you?"**

"**Oh, then we're fine Lady Arlene," Frodo said. "We just wanted to talk with you."**

**I opened the door wider to allow them in. "Then by all means come in. What is it that you would like to discuss with me Master Hobbits?"**

"**For starters, you don't have to address us formally, Lady Arlene," Merry said.**

"**Then you must not address me formally," I said.**

"**That's fine. Now, can you tell us more about what your people do on this 'Halloween?'"**

"**Sure! What would you like to know?"  
  
"Everything."**

"**Elaborate."**

"**Festivals, costumes, things like that." Pippin added.**

**While they scrambled onto the bed to get comfortable, I grabbed a pair of jeans, and a vintage T-shirt and made my way to the bathroom to change clothes. "Alright, I'm gonna warn you, once you get me going about Halloween, it's hard for me to stop." I heard them mumble something that I heard them mumble something that sounded like an 'okay' as I pulled the T-shirt over my head. **

"**Okay, where to start," I said mostly to myself. "Festivals that are held on Halloween are really diverse. It depends greatly on the culture in the area. It's like a big gathering of people that dress up in costumes, eat food made especially for the holiday, and just hang out and have a good time. Um costumes...they're like strange clothes that little kids and sometimes adults dress up in. There's a magazine on the bed right there. Yeah, that's it. It is full of costumes, party decorations, things people go to the store and buy, or they can make some of them. I get that in the mail every year. Anyways, about the little kids, they do something that I've always loved doing: Trick or Treats."**

"**What are 'Trick or Treats?'" Sam asked.**

"**Oh, it's awesome! Kids go from door to door in their neighborhood and knock on the door. When someone answers, they say 'trick or treat!' and the person gives them a treat. Sometimes it's candy, sometimes it's fruit, and sometimes it's even money."**

**The Hobbits seemed really intrigued by what I had to say, and it made me feel good to know that there was someone that was interested in what I had to say. I can't say the same about my family. A visit with my grandmother to talk about things that had been going on turned into watching TV in silence. If I wanted to watch TV, then I would be at home, so I left. It's not like she would have noticed. Even when she had company over and I was there, she'd barely regard my existence like everyone else, so I left. When I ran out of things to say, Frodo, Sam, and Merry, and Pippin wanted to borrow the magazine. So I gave it to them and they took off. Where, I have no clue. I began to pull things out of my duffel and put them away, figuring that I'd be staying for a while...**

_Following the Hobbits..._

**Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin split up and raced through the halls of the palace, looking for anyone and everyone they find, herding them into the Great Hall once again. **

**The groups of people talked amongst themselves, asking each other why they had been called upon so suddenly. Four small shouts brought the room to silence, but heads turning in every direction to find the location of the sounds.**

"**It looks to me like this has been set up by none other that Peregrin Took, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Frodo Baggins, and Samwise Gamgee," Gandalf said, peering down at the small Half-lings. "What is the reason for this?"**

**Pippin stood up on a table so everyone could see him. "We have been talking to Arlene this morning, and she has told us much about this holiday she calls Halloween. But she sounded homesick the way she talked, so we were talking, and thought that it would mean a lot to her if we could put together a Halloween festival, since she said that she wasn't going to be able to make it to her friends'."**

**Gandalf smiled at them, his eyes twinkling. "That is a splendid idea, Master Took, but where do we begin? We know nothing of this sort."**

**Merry jumped up on the table. "Arlene gave us a book to look at. It has a bunch of things in it that we can use. See, it's right here."**

**Arwen moved over and took it from the eager Merry and began to flip through it. "Ada, he's right. There are all sorts of clothes in here that the seamstresses can make, they look fairly simple. And the decorations! These things can be gathered from around the palace! What do you think, can we do this?"**

"**This is not my choice, Arwen, but your husband's. I don't live here." Elrond said, with a small smile at his daughter, thinking that she still resides under his home.**

**She looked embarrassed for a moment, then turned to Aragorn with pleading eyes. "Alright, but remember melamin, I have no experience with festival decorations..." **

"**Who's going to keep Arlene busy for the day?" Frodo asked. "This is to be held in the evening, so someone will have to keep her company so she won't know that something is going on."**

"**Mr. Frodo's right," Sam chimed in. "This is supposed to be a surprise for Ms. Arlene. If nothing else, I think that there should be a rotation: a different person will keep her company for a while, so that everyone is able to take part in helping at one time or another."**

"**That's a wonderful plan Sam." Arwen said. Sam blushed, not used to getting compliments. "So the question now is who will be the first? And keep in mind, no letting anything slip. We can't afford a mistake."**

**Just barely a whisper, everyone could hear Merry say, "Well that rules you out, Pip..."**

_Back to Arlene..._

**I was playing solitaire on my laptop when someone knocked on my door again. Needless to say, I was surprised to find Eowyn on the other side. We exchanged greetings and I let her in.**

"**So what brings you here?" I asked.**

"**Nothing really, I just thought that you might want some company."**

"**That's sweet of you." I said, sitting back down on the bed, motioning for her to follow suit. **

"**You know I couldn't help but notice how well you fit in at Arwen's wedding."**

"**Yeah, well I never felt more out of place, kind of like the clothes I'm wearing right now."**

"**It is quite odd for a woman to wear pants in this time. But, I'm just curious...are they...well, are they comfortable?"**

**I grinned. "I have some extras. Would you like to try some on?"**

**With a smile and a nod, I began tearing through my clothes, looking for something that would suit the White Lady of Rohan. My result was a Red button up blouse pulled over a tight sleeveless tee with hip hugger jeans. I pulled her hair back into a ponytail and secured it with a banana clip. After grabbing a can of Pringles, we made our way outside barefoot, where I introduced her to the joys of junkfood.**

_2 hours later..._

**Elladan and Elrohir came to tell Eowyn that her brother needed her assistance with something, so she had to leave, but the twins hung around for 'a little while,' they said. That 'little while' turned out to be another 2 hours, but they weren't wasted in vain. We got to talking and I found that some of the pranks they pulled were standard versions of what was pulled in my time, so I gave them more in-depth versions and they happily traded in some of their more precious pranking secrets. The topic of music came up as well, and I told them about the different kinds of music that I listened to. I'm not sure if they understood the differences, though. Well, Elladan asked me if Elrohir and him could borrow a few CDs so they could listen to them, so I led them back to my room, showed them how to play the CDs on the notebook, then plugged in the speakers and set them on their happy way. **

**I grabbed my sketchbook and went back outside where Eowyn and me sat at and sat back down, just sketching what I saw before me: homes, men working on heavy labor, women tending to the laundry and a few children playing with small toys. Still barefoot, mind you, I made my way down the steps and began to walk around the village that lay just below the capital.**

_As if it isn't more obvious that I was out of town, the people just can't help but stare..._

**A ball rolled down the street, followed not too closely by what looked like four children, two boys and two girls. I slung the small bag that I carried my drawing supplies in back up on my shoulder and managed to stop the ball just before it was lost for good. The children saw that the ball had been rescued, but when they saw me, they seemed a little afraid. **_Am I that intimidating? _

"**Here you go," I said, holding out the ball for them to take. One of the boys seemed hesitant, but he slowly made his way over to get it.**

**He mumbled what sounded like a 'thank you', but him or his friends didn't leave. They kept staring at me, or to be more precise, my sketchbook.**

"**What's that?" he asked.**

"**This? This is my sketchbook. I draw things in it. Would you like to see?"**

**But before they could reply, a couple of women older than me came running up, out of breath. I assumed they were the parents of the kids.**

"**You know better than to run off like that." One of them scolded.**

"**But ma-ma," the boy with the ball whined, "our ball rolled down the street. If it wasn't for this nice person here, then it might have been lost."**

**It was then that they set their eyes upon me. "Thank you for helping my son and his friends get their toy back. Now, come along, we must be going back home," she said to the boy.**

"**But ma-ma, she was about to show us some of her drawings in that book. Can we please stay and look at them?"**

**The tow women exchanged glances before they looked back at me. "If you would like to come back to our home, you could show them your drawings."**

"**Okay, that sounds great." I replied, and was pulled and pushed by the small children, meaning for me to walk faster. It wasn't that far of a walk, but they wanted me to get there all the faster.**

**I was ushered into a small, cozy looking home that the two women shared, whom later I found out were sisters. Their husbands had been enlisted with the Army of Gondor, and it wasn't until after the War of the Ring had ended that they found out that they had been killed. **_That story sounds a lot like what's going on back home... _**They were fixing lunch and insisted that I stay and eat with them. **

**After the table was cleared, those kids started begging to see what I had in my sketchbook like it was Christmas. So I showed them, but as they were looking at the last few pages, one of the sisters let Arwen in, donning the outfit I gave her: hip hugger jeans and a form fitting long sleeve black top that with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows.**

"**It's about time I found you," she said. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?" **

"**Sorry, mother. I was walking down the street and these kids lost control of their ball so I rescued it for them and their mothers wanted me to come back and have lunch with them while I showed the kids my sketchbook." I replied in the same mocking manner.**

"**Well I just wanted you to know that we need to get back up to the palace. I want you to do some thing for me. Besides, it's starting to get late."**

"**Alright. It was good meeting you, and thank you for the food, it was delicious."**

"**No need to thank us, my child, we thought you might be hungry. It was a pleasure meeting you, you're a very good artist."**

_Back at the palace..._

"**Put that over there, filthy human." Elladan said, tossing the decorations over to Aragorn.**

"**Say it right, or I won't do it." came his reply.**

"**Sorry, please put that over there," Elladan started.**

"**King filthy human," Elrohir and Legolas finished, laughing.**

"**That's more like it..."**

_Up in Arlene's room... _

"**That looks great," Arwen said, admiring my Sailor Saturn costume.**

"**Okay, something's up," I said, watching her put on a black hooded cape and some of my red lipstick. "What's the deal?"**

"**What do you mean?" she asked innocently.**

"**You guys are hiding something. What is it?"**

"**You'll see, now come on!" She said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the room.**

****

**When we made it to the Great Hall, Arwen made me shut my eyes, which frankly, made me a little nervous. Even with my eyes closed, as I came into the room, I could tell that there was minimal light. Arwen told me to open my eyes, and when I did, my vision was a little cloudy, but I knew right away what they had been up to all day when they shouted "Surprise!"**

**The Hall was decorated from top to bottom in cobwebs, black and orange fabric was twisted and streched across the area like streamers. Long tables were set out with large bowls and plates of food, goblets laid out in rows. Everything was big, dark, and creepy.** _They put together all this?! _**Then I noticed what they were wearing. Arwen was dressed as a vampire. Aragorn resembled something of Dracula. Gandalf was wearing torn white robes, or what used to be white, I assumed he was a zombie, as was Legolas and Gimli. But Legolas's zombie getup looked more like an elven zombie, and Gimli's looked like one of the seven dwarves and come back from the dead. The Hobbits were dressed as little pirates, and the twins, well, they dressed up like their sister and Aragorn.** _That's a little disturbing... _**Elrond was wearing something that looked like Van Hellsing, and Galadriel was dressed like Catwoman, claws and all. Eowyn and her brother, who was'nt in the greatest mood, were clowns. Faramir was dressed like a Greek God, don't know which, but does that matter? Everyone was dressed up.**

**"Why?" was all that I could ask.**

**"We wanted to do something for you. Pippin said that you were down, so we thought it would make you feel better if we threw a party for you, seeing that you couldn't go to your friends'." Aragorn said.**

**"Thanks, but...wait a minute. That's why you guys were all gone! That explains why the twins wanted to listen to my Cds, and why the Hobbits wanted to borrow that catalog!" I said, finally realzing their little scheme. "You guys didn't have to do this."**

**"We wanted to, and that's all that matters. Now come on and have fun!" Arwen said, "Plus we can make fun of my brothers' sad attempts to dress like me."**

**I think that night was the most fun that I have had since I fell into Middle Earth. Regardless of what was to come, I would live life to the fullest, and not worry about what the next day held. **_Carpe diem..._

**__**

**Hey guys! I wanted to make it longer, but I couldn't think of a good way to describe the party. I also wanted to get this done before Halloween, cause I'm not gonna be home. Anyways, read review, and have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :)**


	7. All On My Own

**Ohmygod, I'm really sorry for not updating like I said that I would back in the beginning. By now all of my fellow readers are probably wanting to strangle me…but if you want me to continue with this story then don't. I took an unposted hiatus that I didn't even know of for a while so that I could rethink what people have told me in their reviews on both of my stories. As far as Dreamsprite is concerned, I am positive that I know where I'm going with it up til graduation and I'll forewarn you that these next few will probably be long. Now I'm still stuck on this one, however, I've decided how I will end it already but I'm gonna need some ideas from all of my wonderful readers out there in cyberspace. If there's something you want to see, tell me. Other than that, read and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: (yeah, I said I'd never do another one, but for those who are too lazy to look back…) I do not own anything affiliated with the Lord of the Rings, got it? Zip. Nada. Nothing. The only character that I hold ownership of is Arlene. **

**:: All On My Own…::**

**Days passed, and still I resided in the palace. The Lady and Lord of Lothlorien left at the beginning of the new month. Lady Galadriel confronted me shortly before their departure. No words were said, out loud anyways, but she told me mentally that my fears would consume me if I let them. She left me with a nod of her head and a smile knowing with satisfaction that she confused me to no end with what she said. It wasn't until late one night that I realized what she meant.**

**I was walking down the hall to my apartment. Somehow I already knew that it was nighttime. There was something peculiar, though. There wasn't a soul in sight nor a sound to be heard, and it sent a shiver up my spine. My pace quickened, a part of my mind replaying the same situations in all of the horror movies that I had** **seen. Fumbling for the keys in my bag, I nearly broke the key off in the door as I forced my way inside. Once I was sure that the door was locked, I went around and secured all of the other possible places that a burglar might be able to get in. But as I sat in the living room, I still had that fear of dread. Something wasn't right. Again, I searched the apartment, mentally cursing myself for leaving my shotguns over at my friend's house. Then the phone rang. When I answered, a disguised voice mentioned my friends. I screamed obscenities into the receiver, demanding to know what he or she had done to** **them, The phone went dead, and it clamored to the kitchen floor as my knees slammed into the linoleum. I stayed there for some time, tears brimming the edges of my eyes as I tried to block out all** **of the possibilities of their fates and silently demanding myself to wake up from this nightmare. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in my apartment. I was standing in the entrance to the city cemetery. The familiar cawing sound brought to me to the attention of two crows overhead, resting on the iron barred gates. Were they looking at me? They cawed to me once more before leaving their perch on the gate doors and flying off. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, but my feet took control and before I could stop myself, I was sprinting after the crows through the large cemetery. Once I saw them land upon two tombstones, my pace slowed to a walk, then stopping completely. What should I do? The comforting, yet eerie silence of the deceased that surrounded me gave me no sign except for the raven colored birds before me, so I approached cautiously, bracing myself for anything. There they were. My friends, propped up against the stone markers as if they were sleeping. No sign of bruises, cuts, gunshots, injections, or blood was visible. But their pulses…ceased to exist. Silent tears poured down my face as I stared into their pale expressionless ones. I looked around me for any signs of life apart from me and the crows, but there was no one. I got down on my hands and knees and silently sobbed. But the next thing that happened nearly killed me from shock. They were moving. Impossible, I know, but there they were sitting upright in front of me, but still pale. They were smiling at me. One of them began to speak to me about their final resting place, but the other cut her off and told me to get my butt in gear and get prepared for the worst. I was going to ask what 'worst' she was talking about, but my body and mind found it appropriate to jolt me from the graveyard.**

**I sat upright in bed, sweat pouring down like heavy rain on my skin. The dream felt so real, but I knew that it wasn't somehow. My friends and I had taken self defense classes years ago and since then improved on the offensive as well. That gave me a hope that they were alive, but it still worried me. A knocking on the door brought me back from the memory and I climbed out of bed quickly to answer it. It was Anamaria, the assistant that Arwen had assigned to me, even against my pleading not to. I was capable of taking care of myself, but this woman insisted on aiding me in any way, so I gave in, but I don't recall a day that I ever treated her like an inferior, and always thanking her for what she did. Anamaria merely smiled and with a nod of her head said that it was her pleasure assisting me. I asked her to use assist instead of serve because I wasn't comfortable with the word. It brought back countless times of the controversy issue of slavery in history class.**

"**Yes?" I called when I reached the door.**

"**It is only me Lady Arlene. May I come in?"**

"**Oh course," I laughed, opening the door and stepping aside to let her enter. "but please Anamaria, just call me Arlene."**

**She turned and smiled back at me. "But you must let me address you properly. It is how I was raised. I do not feel comfortable any other way."**

"**Okay, I give. You'll be the only one to call me that, though." I replied, shaking my head. **

**While Anamaria was busy bustling around preparing a bath for me, I set to work making the bed, which she scolded me for of all things! "You should not be doing this!" she said in a mockingly stern tone.**

"**I'm sorry ma'am, but this was how I was raised," I replied.**

**She laughed. "Don't you be talking like that to me. You'd make me feel older than I really am. Now go on child, go get in your bath, it's ready for you." I finished helping her straighten the covers on the bed then retreated to take my bath, but I paused and watched her busy herself. Anamaria reminded me of a much younger version of Granny Clampet from the Beverly Hillbillies. She was small like Granny and even had a bit of the personality down pat. Like a mother hen, she took it upon herself to play the role of surrogate mother/grandmother to me. Her hair was slowly starting to show lighter strands against the dark locks that she had pinned up into a messy bun. The dress even expressed her mother-like personality. She told me once that she had been busy raising her children, so she never had time to really mend her oldest dresses, and when each of her children had something that they couldn't wear anymore, she would cut them up into swatches and tuck them away so that when she had time she could use them as patches to hide the holes in her clothes. Now her children had grown up and moved on, but she would always have the swatches of outgrown childhood garments that would serve as memories of her precious babies, no matter how old they got or where they went. It was such a beautiful story.**

**I smiled to myself as I turned and continued on my way. The hot water soothed the tense muscles in my back as I sunk into the tub. While I poured some shampoo into my hands and lathered it into my hair, I replayed my dream over and over again, trying my damnedest to relate it to what the Lady of Light had told me before she left. And then it clicked.**

**Water splashing about everywhere, I leaped out of the tub, left the bathing room ignoring the towels that Anamaria left out for me and nearly flew into my bedroom, scaring Anamaria half to death.**

"**I figured it out!" I cried over and over again.**

"**Figured what out?" she asked, startled as she watched me run buck naked around the room gathering a pair of worn out jeans and an old long sleeve shirt. **

"**The dream, I just realized what it means!" I said, throwing on my clothes and running back to grab a towel to dry my hair.**

"**What dream, Lady Arlene? Forgive me but I am lost.'**

"**Right. Sorry," I said coming back into the bedroom. As I sat down on the bed, I started to tell her about the dream while I dried my hair vigorously. When I lifted my gaze from under the towel, Anamaria had a sad look in her eyes that I had never seen before. "What's wrong?" I asked.**

**She shook her head slowly before answering me. "It is nothing, Lady Arlene. This dream…do you think it could be real?"**

"**As in a premonition?"**

"…**yes."**

"**I'm not sure. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't; but I'm not gonna sit around on my ass when I can't be sure."**

**She stood up from her position on the chair. "Then what will you do?"**

**I said nothing but gave Anamaria a smirk as I continued to shift things around in my duffel bag.

* * *

**

"**ABSOULUTELY NOT!" Aragorn yelled, his voice echoing throughout the halls of the palace. Not even in the movies I had ever heard him that angry, and frankly, I was a little worried, but I stood by my decision.**

"**Then tell me why not," I countered, but the hair on the back of my neck was on end.**

**He didn't say anything at first, but when he stood up and started to make his way towards me, my legs went numb and I was unable to flee the scene.** _Like he would have let me leave…oh boy, I feel a lecture coming on…_

"**What makes you think," he said, stopping maybe 2 inches from my face, "that I will LET you walk out of Gondor on your OWN when SOMEONE or SOMETHING is walking around Middle-earth just waiting to ANNIHILATE YOU?! What do you take me for?!"**

_Right now I take you for a person that needs to be committed…_

**Aragorn refused to lower his voice, and I wouldn't either. "How about this, what makes YOU think that I'm gonna just stand here and take this crap?! You have no right to tell me what to do, much less yell at me for the choices I make. I am and adult. I have the same rights as you to make decisions on my own and I will continue to do so. I couldn't care less if you are the King of Gondor!"**

**Man, I swear I thought I saw a flicker of rage in his eyes. "You are a child in these lands. You may be considered an adult where you came from but I will not sit back and watch a child get killed!"**

"**YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER!!!!!!!!" I screamed at him. I felt some strange wave of energy surge up around me like a barrier that made Aragorn back up. I felt my hair loosen from the loose ponytail that it was in and move about madly. The crow insignia on my wrist started to burn. Yeah, I was getting pissed. "YOU WILL NEVER BE MY FATHER!! NIETHER ARE YOU MY FUCKING GUARDIAN!! I WILL DO AS I DAMNED WELL PLEASE AND IF THAT DOESN'T SUIT YOU THEN FUCK YOU YOUR HIGHNESS!!!!"**

**The entire room went silent. My hair settled back down but the burning in my wrist wasn't fading. When I lifted my head to look at the King of Men, I instantly regretted the words that I said. **

_OH SHIT! I am SO fucking screwed…damn my big mouth and short temper…everyone told me that It would get me into trouble one day, and now look where I am._

**His face was expressionless. I can't say if that was a good sign or not, but he didn't move from where he stood. He just looked at me. _That look…it's so familiar… _His face was stern, but calm, he stood with his arms crossed, feet apart, shoulders squared. It didn't take a rocket scientist to make me see who he reminded me of.** _Daddy…Daddy was always like that. He would raise his voice for a while, but then he would just stop and stare off until he calmed down…he looked like that after I told him exactly how I felt when him and Mama were in that period of fighting. _My anger dropped to a minimum in 2 seconds.

"**My Lord Aragorn-" I began, but he cut me off.**

"**I understand the position from where you come from, Arlene, so you do not have to apologize. Often I rebelled against Lord Elrond's word because I felt that he did not understand the point I was trying to make. When I look back on it now, I realize that he was indeed right. I am sure that in time you will understand the reason why I do not want you to leave Gondor. Lady Arlene, I would like to apologize for the rudeness that I bestowed upon you."**

**Sighing, I wiped the tears quickly away that threatened to fall. "I forgive you, but it should be me that should be asking for forgiveness. I was acting out of line, especially since I said some things that are unforgivable to someone superior to me. I fully accept any punishment that you see fit."**

**Aragorn laughed and pulled me into his arms, hugging me. "Child, you are forgiven. Even though I didn't understand some of the words you used, I could tell that they were offensive where you come from, but you shouldn't be punished for saying something like that."**

"**I'm not a child." I replied stiffly from his embrace.**

"**Yes, but in my eyes you ARE a child. I am over 80 years old after all," he said hugging me harder before letting me go. When I looked back at his face, I saw tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "You're like a daughter to me, regardless of the short time that we have known each other. Anamaria," he said, turning his attention to the small elderly woman, "Please see to it that Lady Arlene's belongings are packed for her departure."**

**I stared up at him in disbelief.** _He's actually going to let me leave?! Something must be up…_ **"What's the catch? Just two seconds ago you didn't want me to leave."**

"**Yes but I nor anyone else can stop you from leaving. However, I am going to arrange for some guards to travel with you on your journey. And, I want you to train for at least 3 weeks before you depart from us. Does that sound fitting to you?"**

"**Does it matter? It's not like I have much of a say so in the matter."**

**:: Oh, you're quick!::**

"**Who was that?" I asked, spinning about, looking in every direction.**

**Aragorn looked at me funny. "What are you talking about? I didn't hear anything."**

"**I'm telling you I'm hearing someone! They just insulted me!"**

**:: Not as blond as I thought you to be, Arlene. ::**

"**There it is again!" I cried. "I don't know who or what you are, but you better come out right now!"**

**:: Fine. Fine. Looks like this phantom bit is getting me nowhere. ::**

**I felt the burning in my wrist get worse and it brought me to my knees. A huge white light surrounded me like a barrier again, and something inside felt like it was trying to get out. Preparing for the worst, I doubled over on my hands and knees, trying to keep whatever inside in. I clearly wasn't in the mood to blow chunks all over the floor. Well whatever came out came out, but I was just thankful that it wasn't from the pit of my stomach.**

**:: Did you loose a contact lenses, Arlene? Wait…do you even wear contact lenses? ::**

_You got a lotta nerve talking to me after what…just…who the hell is that?!_

**When I stood up, I was half-expecting a sorceress or witch or wizard or something to be standing before me, anything at the opposite end of the scale from what stood in front of me.**

**She stood about 2 inches taller than me, tall enough that in order for me to look her in the eye, I would have to look up. Her skin was bronzed, which made her sun bleached hair stand out more. Her eyes were the color of the sea, a deep blue. There was an aura around her much like that of an innocent child, but her eyes held wisdom that only an elderly person obtained during their long lifetime. The dress she wore reminded me of a Greek goddess; sleeveless and hung loosely, tied at the waist to emphasize her small waist. Ten toes peeked out and wiggled under the hem of the dress that trailed the floor.**

**:: Wow, I didn't realize that you were shorter than me. Hey, nice tattoo. So how have you been lately Arlene? ::**

"**Who-Who are you? And where did you come from?" Out of the corner of my eye, Aragorn motioned for guards to move around us at a safe distance, in case this new visitor attempted anything.**

**She must have sensed the tension in the room as well. :: Relax, there's no need to resort to violence on my account. I'm not here to kill anyone, I'm just here to help Arlene. ::**

"**Aragorn, draw back your guards."**

"**Are you sure? Can you say that you honestly trust her when you yourself have just laid eyes upon her?"**

_He's right. What if this is some trick she's been concocting to drop the security so she can pull a fast one over us? NO! I can't jump to conclusions so quickly! Maybe it's just a gut feeling, but…_

"**I'm sure." I finally said. She stood there smiling at my decision, which made me wonder if I did the right thing.**

**:: That was a wise move. Now let me tell you that it is an honor to finally meet the woman that created me. ::**

"**Hang on, what do mean by that?"**

**:: I can't believe that you don't remember me. After all of the things that we went through together. It's me, Roxy! ::**

_Roxy…Roxy…where have I heard that name before…wait…no…there's no way…she can't possibly be-_

**:: Your imaginary friend. By the look on your face, it seems that you remember. ::**

"**When did this happen? How? Why?"**

**:: Think back to when you were 6. You came home from school upset because some boy was making fun of your accent. While you were crying into your pillow you wished that there was someone who could understand you. ::**

"**That's right. That's when I thought you up and named you after a doll that I wanted."**

**:: You remember…that's good. After that day you took me everywhere with you. Days went by, and the more that you talked to me and imagined what I would look like, I grew into what you see today. What you see before you is the result of years of thinking that you were talking to no one- ::**

"**-when there was someone in front of me all along."**

**:: I was there those long nights you stayed up typing research papers, studying for finals, always sitting right beside you, your muse for your creations. I saw you receive your diploma at graduation. When you were at the job interview, I was watching from the window of the office, giving you confidence. Even when you had that horrible breakup with your first and only boyfriend, I was sitting beside you on the couch, watching sappy romance movies and indulging in the pint of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream. So you see, you've never been alone. ::**

"**I can't believe that you've been there all this time. Hell, I'm amazed that you're actually right in front of me! Even if this is cool, there must be a reason."**

**:: There is, :: she said smiling again. :: I have been entrusted with the honor of protecting you. I am your guardian Arlene. ::**

**_Guardian, like a guardian angel? No, she doesn't have wings…but do guardian angels have wings? _"Do you mean like a body guard? I'm lost as you can see."**

**:: Think of me as an assistant. I'm here to help you in any way possible, even if it could lead to our demise. ::**

"**Wow. That REALLY makes me feel good. Especially since there's already someone or something after my life, ya know."**

**:: I see, that's quite a predicament. But nevertheless, I will stay by your side. Now, what do we know about this…uh…thing that's after you? ::

* * *

**

_**Meanwhile, in some really dark and dank room, in a castle hidden to the unseeing eye, a figure clad in clad in black robes sits slouched in a throne created from the bones of unknown creatures, quietly waiting for news of the mission that he dispatched weeks ago. Just as it's patience as run thin, the doors open to show five monstrous creatures enter, only stopping to drop on one knee before the throne. One had his ears pierced all up along his ears, a stud in each nostril, and a bolt in his tongue. He had a mohawk of black hair that turned into a mullet where his ears started. The one beside him had spiked black hair, and a ring pierced through his nose like a bull. To this guy's right was a shorter guy who had no hair and a gut with some kind of strange tattoo running along the left side of his face and down his neck. There was another guy standing behind the shorter one, he had much darker skin, with what looked like studs under his eyes. He was of a heavier build than the others. The last one had frizzy grayish black hair that stopped at his shoulders, with a lip piercing that had a chain that reached from his chin to his left ear.**_

"**What is the status of Arlene Harris." It was more of a demand than a question.**

"**We can report that she is no longer among the living, Master." The shortest said.**

"**_Really_," the robed figure hissed. "Then riddle me this: I received word not two days ago from inside sources in the White City that Arlene Harris walks the streets! That is a rare name in Middle-earth, so tell me: WHAT THE HELL WENT WRONG!? ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS GO THROUGH THE PORTAL, KILL ARLENE, THEN COME BACK AND REPORT TO ME THAT THE MISSION WAS A SUCCESS! AND YOU SCREWED IT UP!!"**

**The five visibly flinched at each word that was screeched, and braced themselves for the worst when the extremely pissed figure in black addressed them by name.**

"**Jigen." The first stood. Jigen stood about 5'6" with a black mohawk that filled out into a mullet where his ears started. Along his long pointed ears there were a mixture of studs and small hoops that outlined each ear. Each nostril was pierced, and a bolt in his tongue caused everything he ate to taste like metal. He wore a dark tunic with leggings in earth-green and brown tones with dark grey boots. On the tunic was the emblem of a small cluster of leaves.**

"**Nuvia." Nuvia stood about 6'0" tall with black hair that has nearly completed turning grey that stopped at his shoulders. He had a lip piercing with a chain that connected to the earring on his left ear. He wore a white tunic with grey leggings and dark grey boots. On his tunic was the emblem of wings, like aviator wings, but they resembled the wings folded behind his back more.**

"**Alastor." Alastor stood around 5'7" with spiked hair black with a few stripes of blue and white and a nose ring much like that of a bull's. His tunic was a midnight blue. Though his sea serpent ears were a tad bit peculiar, the oddest thing about him was his tail. In a way, it resembled that of a mermaid, but the blue scales and fins could have been written up as a supposed sighting of the Loch Ness monster. A bluish-purple scale-like band covered much of his forehead.**

"**Doma." Doma was much shorter than the others, standing around 5'4". Where he was short hair, he made up for with gut, as his blood red tunic protruded out slightly over his orangish-brown leggings and dark boots. In place of his hair, though, flames of red, orange, and yellow spread about his shaven head and behind his long, pointed ears that turned back slightly. Across his forehead a band of flames rested, and along the left side of his face, an odd tattoo ran down to his neck. On his back were wings of red and flames that hovered at the tips.**

"**Risho." Risho was the tallest of the five, coming in at 5'11". The length of his dark hair was hidden by a black hood and leather duster that trailed the floor. A tunic of black could be seen under the duster, and dark gray leggings were tucked into darker boots. His dark skin made the silver studs that outlined his bottom eyelids stand out all the more. **

"**Yes, my lord?" the five spoke in unison.**

**The robed figure began to pace back and forth in front of them, not even sparing a glance he was so furious about their blunder. "The five of you could be cast into the fiery depths of Mount Doom for your recklessness …" he paused, sensing the tenseness of the five kneeled before his feet. "or…or, I could give you another chance…"**

"**Please my lord, give us another chance! I am most positive that we can guarantee the death of Arlene Harris if you will spare us." Risho said.**

**The cloaked figure considered this for a moment. "That is possible…It is decided. You will each be spared this once in order to redeem yourselves for your mistake. But not yet. I have a feeling that Arlene will come to claim her revenge in the near future. It would be advised to spend this time improving on your techniques. I will have new recruits trained and in preparation for when the time comes. Until then, you my leave."

* * *

**

**_Back at the great hall…_**

**:: Okay, now that I've been filled in, what do you have planned?:: Roxy asked me.**

**Sighing, I said "Training."**

"**What's the matter? You seem disappointed?" Aragorn said mockingly. "You don't even know who your instructors are yet."**

**I threw him a mock-glare. "Fine. I'll bite. Who are my 'instructors'?"**

"**Myself, Legolas, the twins, Faramir, and anyone else willing to tackle your temper."**

**My mood changed dramatically. "I get to fight you guys? I thought that I'd be sparring with some guards."**

**:: Wow, you just had a mood swing if I ever seen one. What brought that up, hmmm? ::**

**I ignored her question and asked another instead. "That's fine, so when do I start?"**

**Aragorn's grin widened, something I didn't like. "In 30 minutes."**

"**WHAT?!"**

**A/N: Sorry bout stopping it short like that. If I didn't stop here it would go on for like 30 pages I think…anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter. Oh, so everyone's clear, the one talking ::like this:: is Roxy. Elfbrat18**


	8. All Work and No Play Makes Arlene a Dull...

**:: All Work & No Play Makes Arlene A Sore Sprite…::**

_**Previously…**_

Aragorn's grin widened, something I didn't like. "In 30 minutes."

"WHAT?!"

"I suggest that you change clothes, I highly doubt that you want to tear those clothes. Wear something that is worn. Ask Anamaria to prepare a room for Roxy, possibly the one beside yours."

::How sweet! You already know my name…and we hardly even know each other…::

"You just think you're so funny?" I asked her. "Aragorn, if it's not too much trouble, couldn't Roxy just stay in my room? It's just too big a room to stay in by myself, and it would save Anamaria the trouble."

"That's fine, whatever suits the two of you. Just make sure that the both of you have changed and bring any weapons you might have with you down to the gates. We'll wait for you girls there."

:: Wait, why am I being forced into this?! :: Roxy whined.

"Because you said it yourself: 'I'm here to help you in any way possible…' Did you forget?" I said with a smile, slapping the girl on the shoulder.

:: Yeah…yeah…whatever. Let's get this show on the road. ::

"Anamaria, there's someone I'd like you to meet," I said, pushing Roxy in front of me. "This is Roxy. She's going to be my room mate, if that's okay. I don't like staying in this huge room by myself at night, especially after those dreams that I've been having."

:: Dreams? What dreams? Wait. Don't tell me. They have something to do with this bozo that tried to kill you? ::

"Sounds about right, I'll fill you in on the details later." I said, pulling out my duffel bag and emptying the contents on the already-made bed. This earned me a stern look from Anamaria. "I just fixed that, Lady Arlene." She said tartly. "Don't worry, I'll fix it back when we're done."

"So what did Lord Aragorn say when you asked him to leave?"

"We argued…I said some things I shouldn't have…we both apologized…he suggested that if I'm to leave that I undergo at least 3 weeks of training, and then Roxy appeared…"

:: Wait, 3 weeks AT LEAST!? By that time, we'll be too tired and sore to leave! :: Roxy squeaked, her eyes widening. Then she started in on some odd rambling that had even me confused.

"Here," I said, throwing her a pair of drawstring sweat pants and a tank top. "Try these on. The pants are long on me so maybe they'll fit you."

Anamaria took her by the arm. "I'll show you where you can change."

"Remember Roxy, we only have…" I paused, looking at my watch. "…18 minutes."

While Roxy was changing in the bathroom, I threw on a black tank top with a skull and cross bones that had the saying 'Exhaustion: Face it: Men don't ask for directions. Ever. It's genetic. Also, it pisses women off, which is the real reason they do it.' Originally, it just had the skull and cross bones, but I was surfing the net once and found that quote so funny I printed it out on an iron-on and put it on the top. I drew out a pair of gray drawstring sweatpants, the kind that didn't draw up at the bottom (I hate those), a pair of socks and my tennis shoes.

I was pulling my hair into a ponytail and tying it back with an elastic when Roxy came out. I handed her the socks and shoes, telling her to put them on while I pulled her hair back. :: What are you gonna do? :: she asked, referring to my bare feet.

"I'll be fine. I'm used to running around outside barefoot." I said, finishing up on her hair. "Now, just let me grab my bow and quiver and we can set off."

While we were making our way down to the gates as Aragorn requested, I had so many questions for Roxy. It was so strange to have a guardian, and often I kept thinking that she was an angel, but then she would open her mouth and that possibility jumped out the window.

"Roxy, do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

::Sure, go ahead and ask away. It's understandable.::

"Okay…how old are you? Or do you age?"

::Yes and no. Right now I have aged 20 years since you created me. My age will continue to rise as normal, but my body will only age for 10 more years and then it will cease. ::

"So you're immortal?"

::Not exactly. I can die but I can't get sick.::

"So does that mean that you can't catch a cold, develop cancer, anything like that?"

::That is correct.::

"But you can die. Like…I dunno…burning or drowning?"

::Yes.::

"Then I guess that you're like an Elf."

::If it makes it any easier for you to understand, then yes.::

"Alright. When I reached my teens and stopped 'interacting' with you, if you will, where did you go?"

::That was a deeply depressing day for me, but I knew that you were growing up and would eventually forget about me. Anyway, I was pushed back into the deepest parts of your memory. You know, with the things that you will never forget, like riding a bike. No matter how long you neglect it, when the situation arises, you will always remember what to do.::

"Well, what did you do…or could you do anything?"

::I watched you grow up. Think about what I said earlier: I was always with you, even when you thought you were alone. Well, as the years passed and things became more advanced, I picked up the new things that you were learning to do.::

"So you know how to work the notebook in my room?"

::Duh! I needed something to do while I spent what felt like an eternity in your mind. And I have to ask you some thing. What were you thinking hanging out with Mandy and Tara in middle school?!::

"I have no idea. Maybe I was too naïve to believe that they were using me."

:: I'll say. You didn't have even a smidgen of a backbone in the sixth grade.::

"Yep. According to Mama, I've become quite the mean little bitch."

::Yes, I can definitely see a change from the little girl that created me so long ago.::

"That brings me to another question. When I created you, what did you look like back then? I don't remember a whole lot." I asked as we were stepping through the doors of the palace.

::Oh gosh…let me think, I barely remember myself. When you were crying into your pillow, you asked out loud for a girl your age that could understand the pain you were in. Someone that wasn't perfect, someone that wouldn't laugh at your downfalls and would listen like a true friend should. You lifted your head to see a girl standing beside your bed, your height, short, blond hair in dog tails with pink ribbons. She wore baggy jeans with the Mickey Mouse logo on the back pocket, a white T-shirt with a turtle on the front and 'Tama-chan' below it, and black sandals, holding out a Kleenex, telling you not to cry anymore. That was the day you created me.::

"Now I remember! You looked so cute in dog ears! So since then, you've been growing up as well?"

::Yes.::

There was silence for a while before something struck me. _Why didn't I think of it before?! It was sooo obvious! Yet again another blond moment,_

"Say, if you've been hiding out in my mind all these years, how come you didn't know that I was a Sprite?"

::Do you mean like the drink?::

"Don't be a smart ass, Roxy."

::Sorry, couldn't resist. No, I didn't. The reason why is because it was even hidden from you yourself.::

"But that doesn't make sense. You were stowed away in my mind all those years, how is it that you didn't see anything related to it?"

::I am ashamed to admit that I don't know. The only thing I can figure is that the memory was too far back for even me to notice.::

We made it to the gates shortly after our discussion. Just as he said, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Eomer, Faramir, Elladan, Elrohir, and Eowyn were waiting for us at the gates, each carrying either swords, knives, bows, or quivers. Aragorn did give me a rather odd look though.

"Something wrong?" I asked, trying to break the silence.

"Yes. Why aren't you wearing anything on your feet?"

"Well, I can't fight in my boots, and I didn't want Roxy to go barefoot so I gave her my shoes. I like to go barefoot anyways."

::That, and the boots Arlene wears totally clash with sweatpants.::

"Clash?" Gimli asked.

"Yeah, not looking right. What Roxy is saying is my boots wouldn't look right with these pants that I'm wearing."

"You girls truly have an odd way of saying things." Eomer said.

Aragorn shifted the bow and sword that he carried on his back. "Come now. We must be going. It is better that we start early so that we can be back at dusk."

When we reached the destination that Aragorn had picked out, a pretty good distance from the city I might add, we set our things down on the ground and waited for Aragorn to start barking orders.

"Before we begin, it would be a good idea to stretch our muscles."

"I didn't say anything but proceeded to follow through with my yoga exercises. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Roxy imitating each of my moves. Mama once told me that this was supposed to help relax the mind and body, but when I straightened back up, I was more tense then when I began.

"What's wrong now?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

No one spoke. Finally Gimli did. "We're just amazed that such a young lass like yourself can move like that. How is it possible?"

I put my arms behind me and continued to stretch. "Oh please, don't flatter me. Actually, what I'm doing is really popular back where I come from. It takes a great deal of time to become this flexible; it's not something someone can learn overnight." I looked over at Roxy, who just stood there with a smug look on her face. _Don't say a word Roxy. _"And it also helps that I took dance lessons when I was little."

"Alright, let's get started. I want you and Roxy to at least get the main points of fighting down today. Now, what did you bring?" Aragorn asked, rubbing his hands together,

I held up my bow, quiver, and sword. "My grandfather made each of these by hand before I was born. When I turned 13, he gave them to me as a birthday present and taught me how to use each before he died five years later, so I do have some skill."

"Good, that will save some time. Now," he began, picking up his sword, "I will go first. Come at me with everything you have. As far as everyone else is concerned, it would be a good idea to move back."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because you have hidden powers that are yet to be released. If you were on the sidelines, wouldn't you want to be out of range of any berserk attacks?"

"Good point."

Aragorn braced himself for any attack before he called "Now!"

My grip tightened on the hilt of my sword, my bare feet dug into the soft blades of grass and I lunged forward at the King. Our swords clashed, and he was able to block each of my maneuvers. No surprise, though I hadn't used my sword for a while, but I could still defend just as well as ever. At one point I even thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, because the friction of our swords were causing sparks to fly. The burning in my wrist made itself known to me again, and this gave Aragorn the leeway he needed to send me flying across the grass with the force of a Mumakil behind his sword.

"What happened?" Aragorn asked. "You were doing so well."

"It's my wrist. It's burning again." I winced.

Eowyn brought over a cloth soaked in cold water from a container she brought with her. I thanked her and slowly wrapped the semi-dripping cloth around my wrist. It seemed to dull the pain, but not much.

"I had a feeling that this would happen. The Lady mentioned something about the crow on your wrist to me before she left." Aragorn said.

"Well what did she say?"

"Keep in mind that this is just a theory, but she believes that it will be a key factor when you unlock a hidden power from within. I'm not sure how long you will have to bear the pain, she could not tell me."

"Well hell," I said standing back up and picking my sword from off the ground, "I just hope that it's gonna stop soon or I am so fucked."

Aragorn sighed and rubbed his temples. "There's something else we need to work on."

"Gee whiz, what could that possibly be?" I asked sarcastically.

He looked back up at me. "Your language."

"What's wrong with the way I talk?" I asked bewildered.

:: You talk worse than a truck driver with hemorrhoids sometimes Arlene. :: Roxy shouted to me.

I pulled a face at her. "Thanks for that visual, Roxy. But seriously, if you lived in my time you would hear more than that. Plus add in the fact that I'm not completely sane due to the influence of my family and you'd consider me normal compared to some quacks that I know."

Aragorn sparred with me for a little while longer before Eomer came up to bat. Now in the movies I had never really seen him swing a sword, so I didn't know what to expect. He had pretty good aim with a spear, but that was about as far as picked up because when he wasn't on a horse he was running his mouth. But now…now I was fighting blind, figuratively speaking of course.

"Don't go easy on me just because I'm a girl." I told him.

"Good because I wasn't planning on it." He smirked. It was strange to be going up against Eomer without his armor on; instead he wore what looked like a worn and faded long sleeve shirt and pants that he might wear underneath the armor. Guess he thought that since I was a girl I would fight like one as well. I wasn't about to let him think that.

"Instead of using a sword, I'd like to fight you barehanded, does that suit you?" he asked me.

I handed my sword to Roxy to use later. "Sounds fine by me. You can go first."

He nodded and took off running straight at me. I put my hands up to defend myself just in time; he was quicker than I expected. His knuckles were callused from the many battles he had seen and I was about to suggest some hand lotion when he back-handed me in the gut, once again sending me flying. Literally. I was up in the air. However, this time I didn't come back down.

"What in the name of Eru is going on?!" Elladan shouted.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?!" I shouted back.

"Language, Lady Arlene, language…" Aragorn said through gritted teeth, rubbing his temples more.

"Could this be one of your new abilities?" Eowyn shouted.

:: Gee, whatever gave that away… :: I heard Roxy mutter under her breath.

_Wow, even my hearing has improved. I wonder what else I can do? But how the hell am I staying in the air?! How do I get down?! Shit, I'll be lucky to land on my feet when I do._

It was then that I felt something odd inside, like some kind of aura that was pushed beneath me, keeping me afloat. Once I swallowed my fear and the adrenaline kicked in, I kicked with my legs and I went a little bit higher. _Hmm…kind of like swimming. _This made me think back to the Superman episodes and how he 'moved' so I gave it a try. Things were going along well until I started to feel drained, and I eased up on the energy I used and attempted to make a somewhat graceful landing. _That's definitely gong to take some practice._

"Can we continue, or do you need a moment?" Eomer asked patiently.

I placed my hands on my knees and took a few deep breaths before answering. "I'll be fine. Just give me a moment…to catch…my breath…"

"Alright. Here…I…come!" I shouted, charging at him with full force. He dodged and blocked each of my punches, but he failed to miss the kick to the back of his right knee that brought him to the ground.

"That was a sneaky trick young lady," he said from his position on the ground.

I was hopping from one foot to the other with my fists up. "Ready for round two?" I asked mockingly.

"You really don't know when to keep your mouth shut do you? Where did you learn such moves?" he asked.

I stopped bouncing but kept my hands up. "From an old friend of mine. His name's Scott. Taught me how to fight and defend myself since I was 13. He would've started earlier, but my grandfather asked him to wait. I know more tricks to flooring a guy than you'll know."

"I'm impressed, but that will not stop me from getting back up. See? I'm standing again. What do you have to say to that?"

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall." I replied with a grin as he lunged at me again.

Eomer showed me on more than one occasion in our short sparring session that he had a great deal of strength behind his fists, but if whoever it was that wanted to kill me was planning on striking again, I think Eomer would be fit for wide-ranged battles better than close combat.

The twins volunteered to challenge me next. "Aw come on," I said, "Two against one?"

"Whoever said that this thing would fight fair?" they both answered and I was beat.

"Fine, but I want a break after this."

Despite the fact that they were twins, Elladan and Elrohir couldn't have been further apart in the sense of fighting. They were both quick on their feet; that's pretty much all that they had in common, other then their ability to use a bow.

Elrohir had a mean punch that sent me flying backwards again, this time tearing the ground up a little bit as I dug my feet in. Elladan was behind me in a matter of seconds and slammed his fists into the small of my back with a great amount of energy behind it. So now I was on the ground, coughing up a little bit of blood.

"Fuck!" I swore. Aragorn was about to chide me for my mouth again but I continued. "I think you forced my kidneys up into my lungs with that hit, Elladan!"

"Terribly sorry about that." he apologized.

"Yeah…you did say not to go easy on you." Elrohir reminded me.

"I know and you're forgiven Elladan," I said, standing back up and wiping the blood from my mouth. "Okay, let's keep going."

Eowyn seemed genuinely worried about my condition, however. "Shouldn't you stop right now and rest?"

Gimli put his opinion in. "You did cough up some blood young lass. Maybe you should rest."

"No, I'll be fine. We just got started after all. I'm not ready to take a break just yet."

But I think it was what Legolas said that made my blood boil. "And here I thought that you were the most stubborn that I have met., Gimli Clearly I was mistaken."

"You'd better watch it, Elf-boy! You still have to contend with me so don't go getting cocky over there on the sidelines."

"Elf-boy?" he asked.

"You heard me!"

Legolas was about to reply but Elladan broke in. "Legolas! Quit flirting with Arlene!"

"Yes, the same goes for you Arlene," Elrohir said, running at me again.

_Who the hell classified that as flirting?! _I thought.

I dodged his maneuver seconds before he would have collided into me. My temper was getting the better of me once again but this time it was different. Would you believe that I shot an energy blast from my hand?! Blazing fireballs! I don't think I've seen anyone move so fast, but what was funny was their comments on my new talent.

"Holy shit!" they both yelled from their positions on the ground. It was crystal clear to me that they had inadvertently picked up on the modern phrases. Hearing myself or Roxy say something like it was 'yeah, whatever,' but hearing it come out of two Elven brothers was just too funny. "What in Elebreth's name did you just do?!" they asked me. _Well, that was short lived. _I thought.

"I think I just found another way to use my energy," I replied. Sometimes I'm such a smart ass it just isn't funny. "Fine, I won't use that anymore," I assured them.

Elladan and Elrohir seemed skeptical about my word but they found it just as another excuse to get to hit me. We continued on and I found out that Elladan has better kicking power than with what he can do as far as punches, which were still strong. Elrohir seemed to be the one with the fists of iron. His only drawback was that he relied on that factor too much, and I was able to floor him in no time. So afterwards I showed him some ways that he could incorporate his feet into attacks; giving him the opportunity to move about and still use his hands so he wouldn't be taken down so quickly. As for Elladan I showed him some vital points that he wasn't aware of that could bring somebody down.

Aragorn gave me the signal that I could take a rest, and it couldn't have come sooner. I slumped down right there and refused t move. Turns out Eowyn brought food with her, which made me, Aragorn, and Gimli a little nervous. Last thing I needed was to get food poisoning. Fortunately she asked a cook to prepare something, so I felt a little better.

"This isn't much, but I thought that since you'd be out here all day you would need something to keep you going." She said, handing me a sandwich and some fruit.

"After the workout I've had over the last few hours or so, I'd take anything."

The sun was at it's peak, making the heat unbearable for me to train in, so I sat and watched Roxy. Turns out that she wasn't kidding when she said that she could copy my moves. There was just one setback. Where I had the physical strength that could execute each move perfectly, she did not. However, that was going to change. As soon as she finished her lessons with the twins, I had her doing push ups, sit ups, you name it. If she was going to come with me she would have to get stronger. My energy felt like it was still drained, but good news was, that bloody mark quit burning so I was able to take the now semi-damp cloth off it. I took the cloth and re-wet it again before lying back onto the ground and putting it over my eyes. Wouldn't you know it that the Elf just felt that he had to talk to me at that moment.

"If you're not feeling up to fighting me today it can wait."

The cloth stayed over my eyes. "Who says?"

"Not me, but it looks like you're exhausted."

I waved a hand back and forth. "So-so tired, but I ain't ready to quit yet. You heard what Aragorn said: We don't leave until sundown, and I won't budge until then."

"No matter how sore you are?"

"No matter how sore I am."

He lifted the cloth from my eyes and leaned over to meet my gaze. "Of all the females I have met, I think you are the most stubborn."

I was a little pissed that he wouldn't leave me be so that I could relax, but damn! He had some blue eyes! His stare was hypnotizing, but I wasn't in the mood to be wooed. "Thanks for the compliment."

His lips curled into a small smile. "Never have I met anyone like you before."

I smiled as well. "I can be a great friend to have or a horrible enemy to contend with, Leggy, take your pick."

"Leggy?"

"Yeah, thought it would be a nice nickname. Whadya think?"

"I think I find it annoying."

"Tough, that's what I'm gonna call you." I teased, putting the cloth back.

"Fine," he said, moving to sit beside me. "but I'll have to call you something. Now let's see…what shall your name be?"

:: How about Brat? :: Roxy suggested.

"That's good…but not quite there…I know, Elfbrat."

"WHAT?!" I groaned. "But I'm not even an Elf."

"Yes, but you are the closest creature to an Elf, you have the pointed ears…and you're a brat." He added finally.

"I am not," I pouted like a little kid. With the cloth over my eyes I didn't see his expression but I did hear him laugh. But before I knew what was happening he had grabbed my hand and pulled me up to my feet.

"Come now, Aragorn wants you to get back to training. Eowyn will be going against you now."

_Must I? And just when I was getting comfortable too…_ As I laid the cloth down onto my quiver, I noticed that the sun was beginning to slowly fall behind the western horizon. _Damn. I guess Leggy was right for once._

"So how do you want to do this, Eowyn?" I asked cracking my knuckles.

"I'd like to test you with the sword myself, does that suit you?"

I grabbed my sword and began to swing it around. "Sounds great to me."

Eowyn had more strength behind her swings and blocks than I gave her credit for in the movies. I mean the sword that she was using was heavier then any I have ever used, so I knew that this woman knew what she was doing. I think the only flaws that I seen were the confinements in the dress that she was wearing (Think of the one from ROTK, where she's getting some armor for Merry). Things would have definitely been different if she was wearing a tunic and leggings.

"You are far better skilled than I expected, Eowyn." I said, slowly making my way over to her. She just smiled and shook her head.

"Nay, I am not that good."

Roxy was chanting something about girl power from where everyone else was, but I wasn't paying that much attention. Because at that moment Legolas looked at me and said, "My turn."

Oh yes, I was especially looking forward to getting to spar with Leggy, cause then I'd have an excuse to hit him and get away with it. The look in his eyes seemed to say the same thing.

"So what'll it be?" I asked, referring to what choice of weapons he might want to use.

"I'll surprise you." Was all that he said before he came after me. I managed to dodge to the right as he passed me, but my left arm was out and he took that opportunity to grab me and swing me up into the air, knowing full well that my energy was close to empty.

He let go of me as I screamed, knowing that his hearing was very sensitive I chose to scream into his ears as I went up. Unfortunately, I didn't land on my feet when I came back down, to be specific, I landed square on my ass. _Oh yeah…there's definitely gonna be a bruise there tomorrow. _Leggy wouldn't even give me a chance to regain my footing. He floored me once again as I nearly go to my feet. As soon as the stars disappeared, I noticed that he was practically straddling me to the ground, so I did something a little immature to make him get off me.

I pulled his hair.

He gasps from surprise and slight pain for I hadn't pulled that hard, and that gave me the edge to flip us over, but I still couldn't get up. Did I want to?

"That's not fair," he breathed.

"Neither was flooring me before I could get up again," I countered.

Then he decided to be immature and kissed me on the end of my nose, just to be funny. "Ew! You're supposed to fight me, not kiss me on the nose!" I said, hopping off him and rubbing my nose.

"You're supposed to fight me, not pull my hair!" he mocked.

"Stuff it, Leggy."

"Make me, Elfbrat."

That did it. I ran back at him and he came at me. We met somewhere in the center and locked hands, trying to push the other back. It was all a matter of strength now. Clearly he had the advantage because he hadn't fought everyone else today like I had, but I still managed to hold my ground and even push him back once or twice. Leggy was using his full strength and he wasn't letting up, so I had to think quick. I tightened my grip on his hands and made to jump over his head and kick him between the shoulder blades, and I would have made it if it wasn't for him grabbing my ankles and slamming into the ground again.

"Legolas. Arlene. That's enough for today." I heard Aragorn say. My back and everything else was sore as hell, so I was glad to hear him say that.

"Great. But you might have to leave me here and come get me in the morning. I doubt that I can get up." I winced.

When I opened my eyes, I noticed that I was being picked up and thrown over the shoulder of Legolas. "W-what are you doing?!"

"You said you were sore. I'm going to carry you back. Now don't argue with me Elfbrat."

I was too tired to struggle so I just crossed my arms and sighed, watching Roxy grab my things and hurry along behind us. It was then that I noticed that being carried this way gave me a very nice view of Elven booty. He wasn't wearing the elvish cloak that day; instead he just wore a silvery tunic and dark leggings. _So what if he's annoying at times…he still ain't bad to look at. Maybe being carried like this isn't so bad after all…_

**Author's Note: I know, I know I haven't updated in like forever on this, but I didn't get a brainstorm until just recently. Sorry it's so long, but I didn't want to break this one day up into two chapters. This will be moving a bit faster in upcoming chapters, cause everyday I'm constantly getting new ideas. RR!Elfbrat18**


	9. She's Not Just A Pretty Face

**Alright, hey yall! What's up? (dodges flying objects being hurled at head) Jeez, sorry about not updating as much as I said I would. I have some good news and some bad news. The good news if that I have a co-writer on this story now. Her name's Sammy but everyone calls her Whistler. She doesn't have an account on so don't waste your time looking. Also, it might take longer to get more chapters up, but I'm trying! That's the bad news. Anyway, she has a few words to say before the chapter begins.**

**Whistler: Hi everyone, Like Elfbrat18 said, I'm Whistler. From time to time I'll take control of the computer and send her off to do something else until she gets some ideas. So if the story starts to sound different, just look up at the top and check to see if I wrote it. Oh, and I might also make appearances in Elfbrat's other stories as well.**

**Elfbrat18: Except for Remember Me?.**

**Whistler: Why's that?**

**Elfbrat18: It was a one-chapter fic.**

**Whistler: NOOOO!**

**Elfbrat18: … get a grip…there might be a sequel…**

**Whistler: Really? (looks hopeful)**

**Elfbrat18: I said there MIGHT…there's a big difference between there might and there is-**

**Whistler: (flailing arms about madly)Attention everybody out there in cyberspace! Ask Elfbrat to make a sequel for Remember Me, but she needs some ideas so-**

**Elfbrat18: (clamps hand over Whistler's mouth) She forgets that I have many, many more fic ideas up on my computer that I want to start-**

**Whistler: Don't listen to her, she's crazy! (flinches at the sound of ducktape being pulled) (gets panicked look on face as Elfbrat starts to edge closer) Anyway, lovely meeting everyone…ask sweetly for sequel…enjoy the next chapter…AAAAAAHHHHHH! (runs off screaming with the cackling laughter of Elfbrat in the background) (muwahahahaha…)**

**: She's Not Just A Pretty Face :**

(Roxy's POV)

I woke up earlier then Arlene had, so I moved quickly and quietly so as not to wake her. The sun wasn't even out, and I much doubted that anyone else would be awake. Skipping out on a bath, I put on some jeans Arlene had loaned me and a shirt Anamaria had sewn for me. Without so much a glance I left the room.

It had been three weeks to the day since I had 'officially' become acquainted with Arlene and so much has happened in that short amount of time. Someone, or something is out to kill her, and she wants to leave and face whatever it is head on. Now tell me, is that sane? Well, I've already sworn that I would stay by her side, so maybe I've lost my mind as well. I don't know if we'll be leaving by ourselves, but I doubt that Aragorn will let us go, and I have a definite feeling that decision won't settle over too well with Arlene.

To make matters worse, not two days ago Pippin reported to us with some folded pieces of paper that a messenger dropped off. We were about to start training again when he and the other Hobbits came running up to the group.

_Flashback…_

"_Lady Arlene! Lady Arlene!" I heard the Took's voice carry across the fields. "There is a message for you." He finished in-between breaths as he stopped in front of her._

_Arlene took the papers and unfolded them. I watched as the expression on her face turned from shock, to sadness, to worried, and finally to livid all in one quick motion. :What's wrong:_

"_Nothing." She replied, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. "Nothing's wrong."_

_I walked over and grabbed her by the arm. :Dammit Arlene! Don't lie! I can tell by just looking at your expression. Now if you don't tell me what's wrong I'm going to be forced to beat it out of you:_

_Arlene, and I imagine the others, were staring at me in shock. I didn't care, though. Something was wrong with my best friend and I wanted to know what it was that made her upset._

_Said friend jerked out of my grasp. "Fine. You obviously want to know. So I'll tell you; better yet, I'll read it to you, so listen up, I'm not repeating myself." Arlene said, unfolding the letter again._

"_Greetings and salutations my dear Arlene. I was quite surprised to hear word that you were still alive. Apparently my soldiers aren't as capable as I made them out to be. I suppose you are wondering why they tried to kill you. You will find out soon, but not just yet. I have been watching you; and I know what it is that you are planning. And I will be waiting, but not alone._

_You might be asking yourself now, 'what do you mean?' As it turns out, I happened to come across two particular acquaintances of yours, a Miss Billy Jean Valcen and a Miss Gabriel Turner. Surely you haven't forgotten about your two best friends? They've been wondering about your whereabouts. I could assure them that you are alive…just as I could assure you that they are as well…but would you believe me? _

_In the past I have spoken many lies, as you remember dear Arlene, and as the rest you didn't believe me. But she did. You know who I speak of. She always believed me. _

_When you think you are ready, come and find me. I'll give you a clue about my whereabouts; it's on the next paper. You must think that I am making it easy for you, but I'm not. I'm making it harder on you. I'm going to push you to the limits of your sanity and force you to make the hardest decisions of your life." Arlene paused, then flipped the papers around. "Here's the 'clue:'"_

"_And so they shall name her Aura_

_Without them she would not exist_

_The shining girl Aura_

_We will entrust her with our will_

_The future is in our hands_

_She is our-_

_I must_

_Speak with Anagarom_

_To go where she is_

_The living flesh poses a hindrance_

_But I must_

_I must go for our Aura_

_Memnon, please give me a little more_

_courage_

_No…the passage of time_

_is irreversible_

_birth or death_

_now only these two_

_choices remain_

_Aura is the child of light_

_Memnon's daughter_

_my protector_

_The end will make itself known_

_Soldier, take this to heart_

_It is darkest before the dawn"_

"_But what does that mean?" I heard Aragorn ask from behind me._

_Arlene shook her head. "I don't know. From what I can gather, he knows where we are, what I'm planning, but more importantly, he knows about my friends!"_

_I put my arm around Arlene's shoulders. :Hey, don't get upset. You don't know for sure if this freak's bluffing or not. This guy's trying to trip you up so that he can catch you of guard. We're here for you, you're not alone in this.:_

_I heard her sigh as I felt her muscles shift. "I know, I know that. But what I don't know is if my friends are alright. I can't get to them, much less be able to contact them in any shape or form. What can you do about that, huh?"_

_For a while no one spoke. I was beat. Arlene put me in a position where I didn't have an answer, even one that would satisfy her. Luckily Gimli thought of something, or rather someone._

"_Did you forget about the Lady Galadriel, lass? Surely she would be able to help you locate your friends." _

"_This isn't her concern, Master Dwarf. I appreciate your suggestion, but I would rather not bring anymore into this conflict. It's my problem, and here I've got all of you mixed up in my mess."_

_Eowyn cam up on Arlene's other side. "Gimli is right. And so are you, but you will need all of the help that you can get."_

"_I will send a messenger to Lothlorien to summon the Lord and Lady by my request." Aragorn said. "If there is any chance that she can help locate the status of your friends, then she will come. I can tell that she has a special place for you in her heart, Arlene."_

_Arlene didn't respond to the king's comment. Instead she picked up her sword and said simply, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get back to training."_

_But the look in her eyes was different. She had more of a purpose for her revenge. _

_End Flashback…_

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, it was clear that not even the servants had woken up. My stomach made an odd gurgling noise telling me, 'eat now or there's going to be trouble.' So I made a B-line for the kitchen, grabbed a couple of apples and made my way to the stables.

* * *

:Hey, Morwen, how are you this morning:

She replied with a whinny and bob of her head. So you know, Morwen was the horse given to me by Aragorn. She was one of many that survived the War of the Ring. From what I was told, she carried one of the soldiers that rode alongside Faramir in an attempt to regain control of Osgilliath.

I hopped up onto the gate and scratched her nose. Morwen looked at the apple in my hand and then back up at me with hopeful eyes.

: I know you want some, but I don't have anything to cut it with. :

"Maybe I could be of service," a voice said behind me, reaching around my left side, holding up a small knife. I took it and smiled.

: Thank you very much, Legolas : Morwen nudged me with her nose. :Oh, and Morwen says thank you too.:

"Well you are very welcome," he said, bowing slightly to each of us.

:You hungry: I asked, tossing him the other apple.

"Somewhat, thank you," he said, taking a bite out of the apple. "What brings you out here this early morn?"

:I woke up early, as did my stomach, and I couldn't go back to sleep. I ought to ask you the same question: I began, slicing the fruit in half, giving one halve to Morwen and biting into the other.

"Elves don't require much sleep, and I normally wake with the sun, but my mind refuses to let me put aside something that is plaguing it."

:What's on your mind:

"Arlene."

:Oh, I see. You fancy her, right:

"I'm not sure," he said, his brow furrowing. "I'm not sure what to think. She's quite the unique person."

:That she is: I said, finishing off my apple and hopping down off the gate. 'Ow…my butt hurts.' I grabbed a brush and opened the gate to give Morwen a good brushing. After all, I needed something to do while I listened to Legolas. :So what's the problem:

"She seems standoffish to everyone but women, and it's like she's trying to avoid me of all people. Have I done something wrong?"

I didn't know what to tell him. Arlene could mask her emotions somewhat well, and I couldn't read her mind so I didn't know if she 'liked him' liked him or not.

:Sorry, but I'm not sure what to tell you, Legolas. I don't even know. You see, Arlene is very…complex. She's not just a pretty face. From what I can gather, her childhood was rocky. Everyone from her parents to her oldest cousin had constant disagreements. She's told me that there was even one point where two of her uncles nearly killed another because he was abusing her grandmother's sister. So, she has a dislike to the men in her family and thus it takes her time to trust men…and in this case males in general.: I added, noticing the look said elf gave me.

"How long do you think that will be?" he asked with hopeful eyes.

I shrugged my shoulders. :Who knows? She's unpredictable. Just give her time, she'll come around.:

My heart sank at his crestfallen expression and I nearly scrambled my brain trying to think of something to lift his spirits.

:Hey, I've got it: I nearly shouted.

"What?"

:Arlene told me that she hasn't been on a horse in years. You're a skilled rider. You can help her remember how to ride:

He nodded his head. "Yes, that is a good idea."

:Yeah, and maybe this way she'll open up to you:

"Alright, I'll do it! Thanks for the advice, Roxy."

:My pleasure, Legolas: I waved to him as he left. 'Now maybe the girl will open up for once.'

I scratched Morwen's nose once more before I closed the gate. :The sun's up, and so's my stomach. I'm gonna go get some breakfast and I'll see you later, Morwen.:

**Elfbrat18: Well, that's it. So what did you think?**

**Whistler: I think it was a bit on the lighter side.**

**Elfbrat18: What's that mean?**

**Whistler: I'm just saying that there's no bloodshed! Where's the gore? Where's the flesh being shredded? Where's the squished eyeballs? Where's the-**

**(The sounds of Whistler being restrained can be heard in the background)**

**Elfbrat18: That's because I haven't gotten to that part yet. But never fear, if it's violence you wanna read, it'll be coming up very very soon. I think it might start after the next few chapters, I'm not exactly sure, but I can guarantee it will be soon! So tell me what and Whistler what you think! **


	10. Moonlight and Raindrops

**So here's the next chapter. No bloodshed just yet, but if you wanted to see romance, here it is. It ain't much, but it's there. You know, if my English teachers read this, they would kill me for using 'ain't.' They'd say something like, 'ain't isn't a word.' Well if ain't ain't a word, how come everyone uses it!**

**Whistler: That's like saying tater and mater. Just strange, that's what it is.**

**Elfbrat: That's my dad's fault. He always says tater and mater instead of potato and tomato. Anyway…read on and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Okay, I realized I keep forgetting to put these up, my bad. (begins to write apology to lawyers threatening to sue) Let the records show that I do not own anything of Tolkien's or anything else that may come up. Arlene, Roxy, Anamaria, and the evil threatening to take over M.E. is my creation. So if you try to sue me, all you'll get is a crappy computer that's about shot and maybe 20. So please let me be.**

**: Moonlight and Raindrops :**

Once again, my stomach woke me up. However, I was so sore from training the day before that I didn't think I'd be able to get up. Not without some help, anyways.

Someone knocking at my door tore me from my thoughts.

"Who is it?" I called.

"Tis I, my lady." Thank the Valor, it was Anamaria!

"Come on in." I hollered, wincing as my muscles contracted and relaxed. I swear it even hurt to speak.

She poked her head from around the door before coming in all the way. "What in the name of Eru are you doing still in bed! Come now, up with you. I'll get your bath ready." She said as she puttered about the room. When she came back from the bathing room and noticed that I hadn't moved, she started to scold me like I was a child.

"Come now child, up with you. The sun is up and bright as well as the rest of the palace. Lord Aragorn told me that you and Lady Roxy are to meet with him at breakfast. Lady Roxy has already left and it is not wise to make our King wait."

"That's great and all, Anamaria, it really is. There's just one problem."

"What's that?"

"I'm so stiff I can't get out of the bed." I replied.

She started chuckling and apologized as she helped me up and to the bathing room. I managed to undress, very slowly mind you, and nearly screamed in agony as my stiff limbs hit the steaming water. Anamaria heard my squeak-gasp and came rushing in as my butt sank to the bottom of the tub.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just peachy…"

* * *

Let's just say that bath left me looking like a lobster. So I pulled on a baggy pair of sweats and a tank top and went barefoot as I made my way downstairs.

The smells of breakfast made my stomach rumble again, so I nearly sprinted to the breakfast hall, despite the pain.

Gimli was the first on I seen. He reminded me of a kid as he sat at the table and his feet didn't touch the floor. "What's up?" I asked casually, taking a seat across from him.

"I should ask you the same question, lass," he rumbled, chuckling to himself.

Looking down at my plate, I said, "Let's just say I had a much warmer bath than usual this morning."

"Then I take it you are sore?" Legolas asked, sitting down beside Gimli.

"I'll be fine later, though," I nodded, trying to swallow a big piece of bread. "But I think I bit off more than I can chew yesterday."

"Here! Here!" came the chorused voices of Elladan and Elrohir.

I followed the sound of their voices to find them sitting at the far end of the table. "What's that supposed to mean?"

:Oh please, Arlene, don't play dumb. You know good and damn well that you've busted your ass since you received those letters. Everyday, nonstop, it's no wonder that you're sore: Roxy said, slapping me on the shoulder.

"By the way, has Aragorn found any clues in the letters?" I asked.

For a while no one spoke. The silence was killed by the puttering of four pairs of Halfling feet coming in.

"What's the matter?" Frodo asked.

"Letters," was all I said. They knew straightway what I meant. "Clues," I added, sipping my drink.

"Oh, I know something!" Pippin said.

His outburst caught my attention, and I pulled him by the arm. "Tell me anything you know." I pleaded.

He stared at me for a short time. "I remember that the carrier was wearing a dark gray hooded cloak. His clothes were also dark. But I could see something shiny on his face, like a chain that started at his nose. He said, 'Make sure that these are given to the Lady Arlene Harris.' I looked down for a second, but when I looked back up, he was gone. There wasn't a trace that he was even there, not even a footprint. Except for this," he finished, pulling something out of his pocket.

It was a red feather. A red feather and a chain were my only clues.

_Whoa…a chain!_

* * *

"I think the carrier was one of the guys who tried to do me in." I told Aragorn, as he paced back and forth. My stomach had this huge gas bubble that was pressing against my ribs. _I guess that's what I get for eating in such a hurry._

"What makes you think that?" Gandalf asked.

"I remember one of the jerks had a nose ring with a chain that went to his left ear."

"But that doesn't explain the feather." Aragorn said, stopping his pacing. _Finally…I was starting to get dizzy…_

I nodded. _Angel: Maybe it was a calling card. Devil: Nah. That would be stupid. _Imagine the little angel and the little devil on my shoulders arguing with each other. _Devil: Of course it was one of those guys, but I don't recall wings. Angel: Although…I wouldn't overlook it. Over a month ago I thought I was human… Devil: …and then I find out that I'm a distant relation to Elves… Angel: …and I can do things like fly… Devil: …and shoot bursts of fire from my hands! Angel: OWWW! Makes head hurt… Devil: You make a good point, let's not think about it. Angel: Finally something we agree upon. Devil: You just have to get the last word in, don't you? Angel: I do not. Devil: Oh you do too. Angel: Do not! Devil: Do too! Angel: Do not! Devil: Do too! …_and it just keeps going…anyways.

Something else that kept bothering me was how the carrier knew where to deliver the letters. It's not like that could call around. Wait a minute.

"I think I'm on to something," I said at last, catching everyone's attention. "There may be one thing we didn't think of; how they knew where I was to begin with. Is it possible that they obtained one of the palantir?"

:What are you talking about:

"Take a seat, Roxy. This will take a few minutes," I said, pulling out a small notebook I had written some odds and ends of things in.

"The palantir. They're crystal globes wrought by the Noldor in Eldamar. The Master-stone was kept in the Tower of Avallónë, but the Eldar gave seven palantiri to Amandil of Andúnië. The palantiri showed scenes far away in time and space, especially things near to another palantir; two Stones thus could be used for communication. A person of strong will could learn to control the palantir and with it see where and whenever he wished.

At the fall of Númenor, Elendil brought the palantiri to Middle-earth and placed them throughout his realm. The chief palantir he placed in the Dome of Stars in Osgilliath; this stone alone could view all the others at one time. The others were placed in Minas Ithil, Minas Anor, Orthanc, Annúminas, Elostirion in the Tower Hills, and the Tower of Amon Sûl. After the fall of Elendil the Eldar took back into their care the palantir of the Tower Hills, which only looked to the Undying Lands, and from time to time the Eldar made pilgrimages to the Tower Hills to look at Eldamar and Valinor. This palantir was put aboard the white ship of the Last Riding of the Keepers of the Rings in the Third Age 3021. The palantir of Amon Sûl was long coveted by Rhudaur and Cardolan, for it was the chief stone of the North-kingdom and the other two were possessed by Arthedain and the Eldar. In the Third Age 1409 the tower of Amon Sul was destroyed by Angmar, but Arthedain recovered the palantir and carried it to Fornost. The palantiri of Amon Sûl and Annúminas were kept at Fornost until the fall of Arthedain, when they were lost in the shipwreck that killed Arvedui.

In Gondor, the palantir of Osgilliath was lost when the city was burned during the Kin-strife. The palantir of Minas Ithil was captured by the Nazgul when they took the city in Third Age 2002, and Sauron gained control of it. This made the other palantirir dangerous to use, especially the stone of Minas Anor, to which the Ithil-stone was most closely aligned. The Ithil-stone was probably destroyed when Sauron fell in the War of the Ring. The Kings and Stewards of Gondor did not use the palantir of Minas Anor after the fall of Minas Ithil until the time of the War of the Ring, when Denethor II, grown grim after the death of his wife, felt that he needed the knowledge that the palantir could give him in order to counter Sauron. However, Sauron so manipulated Denethor's visions and assaulted his mind that the Steward went mad during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and burned himself with the palantir in his hands. After this time, the only picture that could be seen in the palantir, except by one of very strong will, was of two burning hands.

The seventh palantir, that of Orthanc, was unused for most of the Third Age. In 2759, Saruman came to Orthanc in order to find the stone, but in using it he was ensnared by Sauron. During the War of the Ring, Grima threw the Orthanc-stone out of the tower and it was recovered by Aragorn, who as its rightful user wrested it to his own will. With the palantir of Orthanc Aragorn discovered many things, including the fleet of the Corsairs that was approaching Gondor, and with this knowledge he planned the course of action that resulted in the victory of the West in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. After the War of the Ring, Aragorn used this palantir to show him the state of his kingdom.

Also called the Seeing-stones, the Seven-stones, and the Seven Seeing-stones. The palantir of the Tower Hills was called the Stone of Elendil. And that's that."

:Damn.:

"Someone has surely been brushing up on their history." I turned around to see Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn not three feet behind me, smiling that mischievous smile; it seemed she was impressed.

Then it happened. I opened my mouth to comment, but instead I let rip a huge belch that could have set a new record on the Richter Scale.

No one spoke. I knew my cheeks were burning from embarrassment. Roxy, I noticed, was holding back a fit of giggles, as were the twins. The Hobbits, namely Merry and Pippin were staring at me in awe. Legolas and Celeborn looked at me with wide eyes. Gimli just grinned. Gandalf showed signs of restrained laughter. Aragorn put his head in his hands. Arwen and Eowyn covered their mouths. Eomer and Faramir just stared in disbelief. I looked at Galadriel. She was smiling. _How the hell can she be smiling! Isn't she offended!_

Then she started to laugh, which made me feel a little better, so I laughed too. "My apologies, Lady."

"It's a wonder it didn't happen in the middle of your little speech!" Gandalf commented. "It would seem that Arlene takes great enjoyment in reading…"

"…and clearly embarrassing me." Aragorn finished.

I placed my hands on my hips. "Well excuse me! It wasn't like I was planning on that happening! It sorta snuck up on me."

:Give her some credit, though, Aragorn. She outdid the Hobbits:

Waving off Roxy's praise, I turned back to Galadriel. "I take it that Aragorn has told you of the letters I received?"

"Yes. I was gazing into my mirror when you got them. Something made me uneasy, and I prepared for departure as Aragorn's message reached my kingdom."

"So you know of something?" I asked.

"Yes…I do. And I will tell you. But not yet. This evening. I will inform you of my theory this evening. However, there is someone that would like your company before." She finished, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder and moving her gaze past me. I turned my head and followed her gaze, feeling a vein in my forehead come out when I noted that she was referring to Legolas.

_Great. Just great. What does he want now!_

* * *

I found out later that said Elf's motive was to get me reacquainted with riding a horse. With that said, I was given an hour to change and meet Legolas down at the stables. Roxy followed me back up to our room, beaming like the sun. I had a feeling that she knew something that I didn't and wasn't planning on filling me in, so I didn't argue. I wasn't in the mood to. Not only did I embarrass myself this morning, my annoying Elf-comrade tells me that he's going to teach me how to ride a horse again, and he TELLS me to be down at the stables within the hour. How dare he!

As I stormed about the room, Roxy perched herself on top of the already made bed, still grinning. Eventually curiosity got the better of me.

"What are you smiling about?"

:Why do you ask:

"Just curious is all."

:You know what they say about curiosity and cats, Arlene…:

"Well then it's good for me that I'm not a cat. So why are you so happy?"

:What do you think of Legolas:

"Huh?"

:What do you think of Legolas? It's a simple question.:

"I don't know. Why'd you answer my question with a question?"

:Just answer mine please.:

"Fine. I don't know. Why?"

:Do you like his looks:

"I guess."

:What about his personality:

"Honestly, I think he can be a smart ass at times. Other than that, I guess he can be charming."

:Well do you 'like him' like him:

"I dunno. Maybe…but then he starts acting like a smart ass prince and that feeling gets shot to hell."

:I think you do, Arlene.:

"What!"

:I've seen the way you look at him. You flirt with him-you may not think you do but you do. So suck it up and face the facts that you may have feelings for the Elf, regardless of how much he pisses you off. Think about his other qualities once in a while and you'll see what I mean.:

By that time Roxy was off the bed, grabbing my face and literally forcing me to look at her as I try to pull on a pair of worn and torn jeans. After she let my head go, she tossed me a white button-up shirt that I put on over my tank top before she resumed her perch on the bed.

"You think that?" I asked, buttoning the shirt.

:I do.: she stated, crossing her arms.

_Well I think you're nuts, Roxy. But right now I ain't got time to argue over the matter. _I didn't say anything else on the topic at hand, but pulled on my boots and tied my hair back. Then as I reached the door, I threw Roxy the peace sign before leaving.

* * *

_Note to self: Next time I go to Wal-Mart or Payless to buy boots, test them out on a non-carpeted floor to see if they sound like horse's hooves when I walk. I swear that people can hear me coming from a mile away. _

Click. Clack. Click. Clack. _Argh!_

* * *

When I got to the stables, Legolas wasn't there. _And he tells ME to be on time…_ A whinny brought me out of my musing, and I saw that it was Morwen, Roxy's horse, that had made the noise.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, patting her nose. Morwen replied with a bob of her head and a snort. "I take it you're not having a good day?"

"Actually, I think Morwen's jealous because she isn't getting all the attention." Legolas said from behind me. "So are you ready to ride again, Elfbrat?"

"Don't start."

"Alright. I'm sorry. Are you ready to ride again Arlene?"

"I guess so." I sighed, turning around to find that he wasn't there!

He came back around a corner again with his horse, Arod, and another white horse with a few gray spots dotted here and there, along with a gray diamond-shaped spot just above two of the bluest eyes I have ever seen on a horse.

"Good, because I have a present for you. Here she is, what do you think?"

I could only stare as they moved closer. "She's beautiful. What's her name?"

"That's just it. We thought that it would be best that her new owner should have the privilege of naming her."

I stared at Legolas. "Are you serious? She's mine?"

He just nodded and smiled. "What will you name her?"

"I'm not sure yet. What's her history?"

"This one carried a soldier from Minas Tirith. He was ambushed by a group of orcs and Uruk-hai and was murdered on the spot. This young one was injured, but she managed to escape with the help of other soldiers fleeing the area. Many were killed, some injured, and it was lucky that she survived at all. She's a tough one, I'll give her that." Legolas finished, scratching her nose, which must have made Arod jealous, because the next thing I saw was Legolas getting goosed in the butt by Arod's nose.

I held back my laughing fit that threatened to break loose. "I think I know what I will call her."

"What?" he asked, rubbing his now slightly sore bum.

"I shall call her…Uma. It was the name of an actress where I came from that played a character that reminds me much of this horse. Strong, determined, proud, and a will to never give up without a fight."

Legolas just shook his head and sighed. "I may never understand you."

"Hun, I don't even understand myself sometimes."

"Alright, let's begin before it gets too late."

* * *

Three hours later…

Not only was the sun starting to go down, but I could feel the air around me change. It was going to rain tonight. And I still couldn't get the hang of riding a horse again!

_This is ridiculous! It should be like riding a bike! One of those things you never forget! There should be an exception to that theory…_

"I thought Roxy said that you had been on a horse before." Legolas said from his position atop Arod.

"Roxy told you what! Maybe she didn't tell you, but I had a bad experience with horses when I was 10. Something spooked that horse. Long story short, 12 stitches in the side of my arm and 4 on the side of my neck. Doctors said it was a wonder my neck didn't break when I landed on that rock, or worse, it could have paralyzed me if my body had landed at a slightly different angle. Haven't been on a horse since."

Legolas looked at me with sympathetic eyes. "I'm sorry…I didn't know. I wish you would have said something earlier; I wouldn't have pushed you the way I have."

"It's fine, you didn't know and I guess Roxy didn't either," I said, readjusting myself on the saddle. "Say, how about a quick race back to the stables? It's gonna rain and I'm not too keen on getting wet just yet."

"Are you sure? Do you think you can handle it?"

"Sure! What, afraid of being beaten by a woman?"

"No, I'm not. I just don't want you to get upset when I win."

"Alright, alright. On the count of three. Ready? One…two…three!"

I barely nudged Uma and she took off like a bottle rocket. She was going so fast that I was partly afraid to turn my head to see if Legolas was behind me or not.

Then I felt the rain start to fall down upon the land, the dark gray clouds covering the sunset like a blanket. It was just a light sprinkling of rain, but I had a bad feeling that something I was not planning on was going to happen. Kind of like that Yosemite Sam cartoon where he's riding the horse and it either won't go or won't stop-either way he has to whack it with a guitar or something. Never fails he gets a horse that's hard-headed. _Heehee, that was a funny cartoon. Wait. Can't think about that now, gotta find a way to get Uma to stop._

What came next was totally unexpected. A huge clap of thunder boomed across the sky. It was like the Valar commandeered my stereo and enlarged the speakers to 200 of their ability and put in an Ozzy Osbourne CD. Very, very, very loud.

Uma reared back on her back legs and my hands lost their grip on the reins, and when she was back on all fours only then did I go flying over her head. It wasn't her intention to do that, and I understand that, the thunder just spooked her.

_Well, THAT'S one way of getting Uma to stop…not exactly what I had in mind, but…_ My thoughts trailed off as I looked up to see Legolas and Arod come running up to us. Legolas made a point of gliding off Arod which made me a little steamed, _Show off…_

"Are you alright?" he asked between breaths as he started to laugh, something that really pissed me off.

"Like you would care!" I shouted, half mad and half hurt as I leapt up and took off in a sprint for the stables. _Now why in the hell did I have to wear boots with a two-inch heel! _

The rain started to pour down as I neared the stables, causing the white shirt I was wearing over the tank top to become transparent. The pounding in my ears prevented me from hearing Legolas running up behind me with our horses in tow.

"Wait Arlene! What did you mean by that!" he shouted.

"No! Just leave me alone!"

"Will you just stop and talk to me! Talk to me!" he half hollered and half ordered as he grabbed my arm, jerking me around to face him. I watched his face turn from frustration to sadness to confusion all in one sweep.

"What do you want?" I said, feeling the rain and my tears mixed together, running down my face.

"I want to know what you meant by saying 'like you care."

"And here I thought you were quicker than that!"

"Just tell me what you meant Arlene."

"You say you care, you say you're concerned, but it's just lies! If Aragorn was thrown from his horse like that, would you laugh at him?"

"That's it? You're upset because of that?"

"Yes! That really hurt. I thought you were my friend, I mean despite the teasing in the past, but I can't believe you laughed. And after what I told you about when I was 10! I would have at least thought that you would have sounded more concerned."

"I'm sorry I laughed, but it was kind of funny."

My reply was "Hmph!" and I turned to leave but he grabbed my wrist.

"Hey, don't be like that. I said I was sorry…" Legolas said, leaning in closer to me.

He was starting to make me nervous. "Uh…yeah…okay…" was l could say.

"That's better." He finished, and not a moment later pressed his lips against mine, not something that I was expecting. So yeah, it took me by surprise to say the least. What could I do? He held my wrist with one hand, his other arm moving around my waist, so he wasn't planning on letting me go anytime soon. After the initial shock wore off, my brain started working again. Remember the little angel and the little devil? _Angel: Kiss him back, Arlene! Devil: What? Angel: You feel those sparks, kiss him! Devil: Why should she? Angel: She has feelings for him that she's denying! Devil: Really? Angel: Yes, really! Now kiss him Arlene! Devil: Yeah, the Angel's right! This may be your only chance, don't let us down!_

Clearly they had come to terms again, which was beginning to worry me, but regardless of if they agreed or not, his kisses felt too good to not respond to.

Unfortunately, the kiss ended all too soon. _Wait, did I just say that!_ The rain was part of the reason. Our needing to breath was another. But the main reason was that I needed to talk to Galadriel. As we put Uma and Arod back in their stalls, I couldn't look Legolas in the eyes. It took me a minute for the stars to go away. But after I made sure that Uma's stall was secure, I turned on my heel and ran back into the palace, leaving a very confused Legolas behind.

* * *

"Get caught in the rain?" I heard Galadriel say as I entered the room. _Naw, I was riding my horse and all of a sudden the sky sneezed. Here's your sign._

I knew Galadriel would read my thoughts, so I thought it rather than said it out loud. When I looked at her, she started to laugh. I guess that left a really amusing after-image.

"Now, let's get down to business, shall we?" Galadriel said, taking on a more serious tone, despite the humor still in her voice.

**Elfbrat18: So that's it. Whatdya think?**

**Whistler: Very moving. Especially the slight romance between Arlene and Leggy.**

**Elfbrat18: Well see, it wasn't something that I was planning on, but it just seemed to work that way. I also wasn't planning on the story being as light hearted as it is; well not for this long anyway. It's going to get darker quick, and it's gonna start in the next chapter.**

**Whistler: So stay tuned and tell her what you think! Peace out!**

**Elfbrat18: Yeah! Peace, Love, and Legolas! LOL!**


	11. Author's Note

Hey everyone, this is Elfbrat18. Whistler and I flipped a coin and I lost, so I have to give the news. As of this moment, we're going to put Break Away on hiatus for a few reasons:

Reason numero uno: I've been looking at some of the previous chapters, and I don't like the way they read. WTF was I thinking when i wrote that crap!

Reason numero dos: They're too bright, so to speak. That, and they have no place in the storyline-I can take them out and it won't hurt the plot.

Reason numero tres: How long has it taken me to realize that those chapters (I'm sure you know which one's I'm speaking of...) are crap! Why hasn't anyone pointed that out! Am I talking to myself out here...!

Anyways, that's it. So don't start begging me to update now, I need to take some time and revise, EXTREMELY I might add, the earlier chapters. I've got some ideas rolling around, so just be patient and check out my other stories. Now I can't promise anything as of yet, but this may not take as long as I'm thinking.

So by the next time I update, it would probably be for the best if you read over, or just skim over, the chapters that have been revised, I'll mark them.

That's it for now, peace out yall!

Elfbrat18 & Whistler


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